As We Fall
by RyaStar2
Summary: Everyone likes a good story where the heroes win. This is not one of those stories. This is the story of when the Titans face an impossible problem. Will they be able to figure it out before they are all infected? Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

As We Fall

Chapter one-Confusion

The lights flickered several times before going out completely. A soft humming of the back up generators could be heard from the basement. As the lights started to come back on a loud banging echoed through out the tower.

'Well that can't be good," The dark cloaked female stated in a flat tone. Even without the lights on she could feel the stare of her teammates and shrugged in return.

"We should split up," the leader of the team suggested only to receive a groan in response, "We could cover more ground that way, find her quicker."

"And what do we do once one of us does find her," The question came from across the way, the only evidence of Cyborg was the glowing red light from his eye. After a few more seconds the main room lit up from the light on his shoulder.

"We at least need to try and talk to her. You know before she destroys the place," Robin squinted as he brought his arm up to shield his eyes some. They could all hear something heavy crash to the ground followed by yell of anger. Cyborg sighed back before moving from his seat.

"Fine but we're not splitting up," he grumbled back, "besides I think I know where to start." He led the way to the stairwell with the other two following behind him. Quietly they all descended as they listened to the rampage that was taking place below. Once they got to the bottom floor, Cyborg paused as he turned back.

"Maybe you should go first," he suggested to Robin.

"Why me?" There was a particularly loud crash that caused all of them to cringe.

"Because you have a better chance of surviving and there's always the chance this is all your fault." Robin slumped his shoulders and narrowed his gaze at his friend.

"Uh huh, thanks," He moved past Cyborg towards the storage room as he pulled out his own flashlight. Slowly opening the door, he immediately noticed the mess below and knew he'd be the one that had to reorganize it. As he took a couple of steps down the stairs he realized it was surprisingly quiet now. That quickly ended as a scream echoed off the high walls. He continued down with the others a couple of feet behind. "Maybe she's finally calming down," Robin whispered to the others before he had to dodge a wooden crate that was thrown in his direction. Another one was tossed right after the first and he jumped over the railing, landing hard on the cement floor below. Immediately he put his hands up as a sign that he didn't want to fight.

She picked up another crate but paused when she regarded his stance. "It's okay, we just want to talk."

"Talk?" She shook her head back and forth as though trying to understand what there was to talk about. "About what?"

"We want to help. Please?"

"Help...I do not require help." Robin took a hesitant step closer as he swallowed hard.

"Star, something is wrong." Her eyes started to glow in anger.

"Nothing is wrong. Leave me alone." He moved a little closer and she brought the heavy crate she was holding over her head and threw it at him like it weight nothing. He jumped out of the way to avoid it and rolled to the side.

"Starfire, we don't want to hurt you," Cyborg said still standing from a distance. She let out a laugh that sent the same chill up all their backs. It was dark and even scary. She tilted her head to the side and her lips curled into an evil grin.

"You're welcome to try."

Author's note-I am very excited about this story and hope to get some feedback on it. Please?! :D


	2. Chapter 2

As We Fall

Chapter two-Symptoms

Several days prior:

"That was the disgusting, yes," Starfire let out a shiver as they entered the Tower. Her once purple outfit was now covered in black slim. Glancing back she observed that her teammates were also mostly covered in the same goop. Their day had started out fighting a rather large creature in the middle of town which came to an abrupt end when it blew up all over the place. The city even called in professionals to clean it up.

"Why is it always the nastiest bad guys that have to explode all over us," Beast boy asked before turning into a dog in order to shake most of it off him. Raven growled as she moved away from him as quickly as possible, trying to avoid the mess.

"Could you not do that? And I don't think 'nastiest' is even a word," she grumbled as she attempted to wring out part of her cloak which did little good. The three of them turned their attention to Robin and Cyborg.

Hey how'd you two manage to get away as clean as you did," Beast boy asked. Cyborg shrugged back as Robin attempted to get some out of his hair.

"Clean," he asked as he pulled one of his gloves off and a bunch of the sludge poured out, "I might have gotten out of the way sooner then you did but it still got me."

"I call dibs on the shower," Raven stated as she turned towards the stairs. She could feel Beast boy and Starfire moving in the same direction and she quickly vanished from sight.

"No fair," Beast boy complained loudly.

"Excuse me but I was the closest to the exploding slime monster. It is in my hair, my hair!" Starfire's sudden outburst caused the other three to blink in shock. She let out a growl before floating towards the stairs as well.

"Soo," Beast boy quietly turned to the others unsure of what he just witnessed, "do we have any idea what that thing was?" Cyborg shook his head.

"Honestly I couldn't tell you if it was made in a lab or an alien. Hard to say now that it's gone." As he spoke he noticed Silkie coming out from under the couch and heading for the pile of grime Robin had left on the floor. As he sniffed it he immediately made a disgusted expression before moving away quicker than normal. "Okay that was weird. Doesn't he usually eat anything?"

"I don't blame him, I think I got some in my mouth before and this stuff tastes gross," Beast boy admitted.

"Yah know that's one of those things you should probably keep to yourself," Cyborg suggested before leaving the room to go clean up. Robin finished washing his hands in the kitchen and came back into the living room to mop up the mess but noticed the pile was gone. Deciding that it more then likely became another snack for Silkie, he shrugged it off and headed for his room.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet even into the evening. When the alarm sounded the team entered the living room, all looking pretty worn out despite having several hours to themselves. Even though he knew their fight that morning had been pretty intense, Robin couldn't help but wonder why everyone looked so tired. He wasn't really feeling up to going out either but pushed himself anyway.

"Looks like Dr. Light is hitting downtown," Cyborg explained as he read over the incoming message.

"Do all of us have to go? Pretty sure Raven can handle him by herself," Beast boy suggested receiving an annoyed look from her.

"No we should all go. Shouldn't take that long," Robin wished he sounded more confident about this but he couldn't muster his normal upbeat tone. They all unenthusiastically made their way to the T-car and headed into town. The scene was pretty typical. Several people were running down main street away from the villain. There were wires shooting out of the ground sending sparks in all different directions. Dr. Light let out a maniacal laugh as he pulled power from a nearby transformer.

"Raven, see if you can take care of those wires before anyone gets hurt," Robin told her and she nodded back, "I'll see if there's any main shut off for this block."

"Ah Titans, how nice for you to join me this evening. I've got some new tricks just for you."

"New tricks, huh? That'd be a first," Cyborg joked as he aimed his cannon in the enemy's direction. As he fired Dr. Light brought his hand up and appeared to absorb the blast. Before any of them could react he returned fire knocking Cyborg off his feet. Beast boy was quick to respond as he changed into a cheetah and ran directly at Dr. Light. Just as he leaped at him, the villain vanished. It was as though Beast boy went right through him as he landed and turned to see he was still there.

"I'm not here to play around with you children." Starfire was the next to charge him, grabbing him from behind.

"We too are not playing," she told him as she tackled him to the floor. Without warning, she proceeded to punch him in the face. He tried to block but she slammed her other fist against his arm, breaking part of his suit. She grabbed another part and ripped it off as well.

"Star, what are you doing," Beast boy asked keeping his distance.

"Starfire, stop," Cyborg yelled as well.

"He believes we are the children, I will show him we are not!" She brought both fists up and would have slammed them down hard if Raven hadn't stopped her. Dr. Light scrambled away as quickly as he could. Robin swung down quickly and attempted to help him to his feet when he turned back to him.

"What is with your team? They're all crazy!" He made eye contact with Raven who simply glared back at him.

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Once Dr. Light was in custody of the local police the team headed back to the Tower. The entire trip home was intensely quiet. When they walked in the door Starfire was quick to head for her bedroom before anyone could say anything to her. Beast boy stretched his arms over his head and let out a yawn.

"I'm beat," he stated as he slumped over to the couch.

"Yeah it's been a weird day," Cyborg agreed. Robin decided to take this moment to follow Starfire to her room. Knocking lightly on the door, he cleared his throat.

"Star? Hey can we talk?" There was no answer and he shifted some on his feet. After a couple more seconds the door slid open and she reached out to pull him in. "Whoa!" Her quick movement shocked him as she tossed him towards her bed and shut the door behind them.

"I do not wish to talk," she stated as she moved towards the bed, taking her time to regard him.

"But I really think we need to. What happened tonight?"

"I do not understand what the big deal is. I stopped Dr. Light. That is all that matters, yes?"

"You were really rough on him though. Don't you usually hold back a little?" She took a seat surprisingly close to him smiling in a way that didn't seem natural for her.

"Perhaps I am tired of holding back." She placed a hand on his lap and leaned into his face more, "Is this really why you came to my room? Is there not something else we could be doing, something more fun?" Robin shifted backwards awkwardly not really sure what to do.

"Are you feeling okay, Star? Ever since this morning you've seemed a little off. You've certainly never been this forward before."

"I am feeling fine. Do you not want to have the fun with me?" She ran her fingers over the back of his hand which caused him to finally stand up and clear his throat again.

"I am really worried about you. I just..." His words were cut off when she floated up and kissed him abruptly. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders pressing completely against him. He couldn't pull away if he wanted to. Her hands started to roam and he found his opportunity to step back, taking in a deep breath. "Starfire, please. I came here to talk to you and see if you were okay. You could have really hurt Dr. Light. It's like you don't even care." She leaned in next to his ear and giggled softly.

"I don't."

Author's notes-I am hoping this story starts to take off but as always I would love to get some reviews. Please don't make me beg. :C


	3. Chapter 3

As We Fall

Chapter three-Sick

"So she wouldn't talk about it? That's not like her to keep things to herself," Robin noticed the hint of sarcasm in Raven's tone but as always chose to ignore it.

"I just don't know what would make her snap like that," He said softly as he sipped his herbal tea that Raven had just made.

"Maybe she shouldn't come the next time. Might be better for her to stay here till whatever this is passes. Who knows, could be a Tamarranean thing." He shrugged back before letting out a heavy breath.

"Maybe. I'm not used to her being so unconcerned like that."

"We'll just have to keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't get worst."

"Is this a private conversation," Robin almost spit his beverage out as Starfire came into the kitchen. He didn't know if she heard them or not but was worried she had based on what she just said. Raven acted as though she didn't care either way as she shrugged it off and took another sip of her tea.

"You live here too last I checked," she stated matter of factly. Starfire casually moved into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Pulling out the carton of eggs she took a seat next to the two of them. She then started to eat the eggs one by one with the shells still on. Robin was quick to move away while Raven leaned back in her seat. "Don't you want to, yah know cook those?" She didn't bother to respond as she popped another one in her mouth. Robin took a particularly large gulp of his tea in an effort to not be sick from the loud crunching sound. Cyborg came out next stretching his arms over his head.

"Good morning everyone, time for some brea...," his jaw dropped as he regarded the alien sitting there eating, "Star! What are you doing?" Her response was to pick up the entire carton and dump the rest into her mouth.

"I am eating," she stated the obvious tossing the empty container to the ground before belching. She went back to the fridge and grabbed a package of bacon. Tearing it open she then started to eat the entire contents whole.

"That was supposed to last the rest of the week," Cyborg pointed out sadly.

"I'm going out," Starfire said disregarding him.

"What, where," Robin hurried over to her before she could leave the room.

"Mmm, not sure. Kind of hungry." Her stomach growled loudly.

"But you just ate."

"Yeah, everything...," Cyborg mumbled looking in the fridge only to notice it was pretty bare now.

"Do I have to ask permission to leave?" Her tone was becoming aggressive but Robin stood his ground.

"I'm not trying to have a fight here, just don't know why you suddenly have to leave is all." She got suddenly close and shoved him back some. Raven rose from her seat but didn't move towards them yet.

"You do not tell me what I can do," she growled and took off for the exit.

"Well that was unnecessary," Raven observed.

"Hey, I thought I was the only one who could give you attitude," Cyborg joked but no one in the room seemed to appreciate his humor.

"This is serious, I think she's getting worst. We've gotta get to the bottom of this," It was clear that this was really starting to bother their leader. He wasn't used to Starfire being this way and he certainly didn't like it.

'What do you suggest. I mean I've never thought about it but I'm pretty sure Starfire could take all of us on. It's not like she really has any weaknesses. Pretty sure she could kick all our butts if provoked."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"Right, hopefully she comes to her senses first? Cause eating all the eggs and bacon in the house raw sounds sensible," again Cyborg's humor was not acknowledge, "Now that I think about it, where's BB? He's usually up by now."

"Didn't he go to bed super early last night too," Raven asked.

"I thought he stayed up to watch a movie or something," Cyborg answered. Without another word the three of them headed for the living room only to find Beast boy still asleep on the couch.

"So he's been here all night," Raven brought up as Cyborg nudged his friend.

"Hey man, you feeling okay?" Beast boy rolled over before sitting up. He let out a silent yawn before a soft meow came out. His eyes suddenly got big as he went to speak only for squawking to come out instead.

"Well that's not normal," Robin observed. Suddenly Beast boy transformed into a turtle before quickly changing into a monkey. It seemed as though he had no control over any of it. After several more transformations he turned back to normal and leaned over the back of the couch to throw up. Raven moved just in time to avoid it.

"Alright, let's get you to the sick bay before you make an even bigger mess. See if we can figure out what's going on," Cyborg reluctantly took responsibility for him as he carefully picked him up and practically swung him over his shoulder.

"Great, first Starfire and now Beast boy. What is going on," Robin looked back at Raven in hopes that she had an idea.

"Maybe it had to do with that thing we fought yesterday."

"But if that was causing it wouldn't all of us be effected? I mean we were all exposed to it at the same time so I would think we would all start feeling sick, right?"

"Well Beast boy's genetics are different and Starfire's not from earth so maybe it only effects them."

"We need to find Silkie," Robin realized, "I think he ate some of the slim yesterday when we got back. If he's sick as well then we'll know for certain that's what's causing all of this."

"Even if we do find him and it is, how do we fix it?"

"We'll worry about that after we find Silkie."

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"So this is what it's come to," Raven muttered to herself as she placed her head against the floor to see under the couch, "on the ground looking for a mutant pet worm." Robin and she had been at this for at least half an hour with no luck so far. She felt a faint twinge in the back of her skull and sucked in a particularly deep breath and closed her eyes. This wild goose chase was starting to get on her nerves and she needed a minute to refocus. When the feeling didn't go away she rose to her feet and rubbed the side of her head as well. This sudden pain made her wonder how Beast boy was doing. While she did enjoy the peace and quiet she certainly didn't want it at the expense of the team.

"I found him," Robin announced as he came back into the room with an unhappy Silkie. He squirmed in a desperate attempt to be released. Robin hurried over to Raven who was greeted by Silkie licking the entire side of her face.

"Great," she stated unenthusiastically. Robin place him on the table and they stared at him for several minutes waiting for him to act strange. "Are you even sure he ate that stuff."

"What else could have happened to it? Beast boy certainly wouldn't have cleaned it up."

"Fair point." Silkie started to get bored and began licking crumbs he found on the coffee table.

"Ugh, remind me to clean this up before anyone eats on it again," Robin made a face. After another minute of nothing out of the ordinary both their communicators went off at the same time. Raven answered hers to see it was Cyborg.

"You two need to come to the medical bay right now," He stated.

"Well that can't be good," Raven put her communicator away before leaving, Robin on her heels. As the two of them entered the med bay Raven stopped abruptly, her eyes going wide. Robin practically ran into her backside and couldn't help but stare at what caught her attention.

"Beast boy," Robin asked Cyborg as they both regarded the green creature laying on the bed in front of them. It's shape kept changing but it never seemed to turn into anything recognizable like normal.

"This is way beyond my expertise," Cyborg stated, "It's like he's stuck in between morphs or something."

"I don't get it, this doesn't make any sense," Robin clenched his hands at his sides. He didn't know where to even begin to help Beast boy or who to go to.

"It looks like he can't keep his shape, like his genetics are becoming more unstable," Cyborg added as he looked over the monitors. Raven went over to the bed and placed a reluctant hand on her friend.

"Raven!?" She heard his voice in her head and he sounded scared. She had to focus more then normal as the area where she touched started to glow bright. It felt as though it took her much longer then normal but sure enough Beast boy started to pull his body back together until he started to resemble himself more. Once she was done she brought her hand away and had to hold onto the bed to support herself. She felt Beast boys hand on hers and she looked up to see him looking back at her, exhaustion in his expression as well.

"How'd you manage to do that," Cyborg asked as he went over to help her up.

"I...I don't know how long it will last but I did what I could. Just need to go lay down for awhile." She steadied herself before going for the door. Robin went over to the bed as well to see how Beast boy was doing. He was still quiet and curled in on himself. Cyborg grabbed a blanket and placed it over him for some extra comfort. Without a word, Robin headed for the exit as well.

"Where are you going," Robin paused before answering.

"I'm going after Starfire. She needs to be here,"

"Okay and then what do we do?"

"I need you to call in some favors. This situation needs our full attention which will leave the city open to attacks. Once I get her back here we can start figuring out our strategy."

Author's note-Reviews, anyone? ::sobs hard::


	4. Chapter 4

As We Fall

Chapter four-Damage

There had been signs of the angry Tamarranean all over the city. Robin had spoken to several people who had witnessed Starfire destroying things all over downtown. He couldn't help but notice several cars that had been damaged, obviously by someone stronger than normal. There was also other signs-business windows that were smashed, a couple of electrical poles that had been snapped like toothpicks and a fire hydrant that had clearly been star bolted. It reminded him of when she first came to earth. He had to find her quickly so he could put an end to this rampage she was on. He was certain he could calm her down and convince her to come back to the Tower.

He spent hours driving around looking for any sign of her but he always seemed to be several minutes behind the wake of destruction. Based on the evidence and eye witness testimonies it was hard to determine what had set her off. The more he saw the more he worried about what he was going to have to do to get her to stop. Before long he conceded in his search and headed back to the Tower. He needed to see how Beast boy was doing. As he entered the main area he stopped when he noticed Starfire sitting on the couch watching TV. She was going from channel to channel while eating popcorn without a care in the world.

"Starfire I've been looking all over for you."

"I am right here, yes," she actually had an annoyed tone to her voice. He came around the couch and reached for the remote. She lazily let him and he turned the TV off receiving a growl in response.

"What happened in town? You did a lot of damage and could have hurt someone." She shrugged back and finished off the popcorn, tossing the container behind her. Robin gave her a look and crossed his arms.

"Just got mad. It is not the big deal."

"How can you say that," he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a couple of seconds before looking at her again, "Star, I am really trying to understand what is happening with you but you can't possibly think it's okay to go around smashing things. This isn't like you." She got up from her seat and floated dangerously close to his face, staring down at him intimidatingly.

"What makes you think you know me so well," her question cut him deep and he took a step back. "Sometimes I wonder why you are the leader when I am stronger." The smile on her face caused his heart to sink in his chest.

"I...I can't be around you right now," He admitted and walked out of the room. It was difficult to keep a level head as he stomped off to the Medical Bay. "How's he doing?" He had to quickly adjust his tone as Cyborg turned back to him.

"He woke up earlier and kept down some food. He just seems lethargic right now. Just trying to keep him hydrated for the time being," Cyborg explained. Robin nodded back quietly which caused his metal friend to arch an eyebrow, "Any luck finding Star?"

"She's in the main room watching TV," he stated matter of factly but Cyborg could tell he was annoyed.

"Everything okay then," he asked back in a quiet slow tone.

"No it's not. She left a mess in town, could have really hurt someone and she doesn't care. She's just being mean for no reason other than she doesn't care." It got quiet between the two of them before Cyborg finally replied.

"Are you planning to use it?" Several more quiet seconds went by before he got an answer.

"I don't think she's giving me much of a choice but I hate the idea of it." He furrowed his brow and became visibly rigid.

"If it comes to that I got your back. Might be easier to deal with all this if we don't have to worry about her destroying the city." Robin heaved a deep breath feeling some relief about the situation.

"I want to believe this is just some weird phase and she'll snap out of it but I just don't know if that's going to happen."

"Hey, you're not in this alone. We'll figure it out," Cyborg gave him a confident grin.

"Thanks." After their conversation Robin headed for his room. It had been a tiring day and he had more questions then answers at this point. Nothing made any sense and he had always been able to come up with a solution. Sitting at his desk he started up his computer. Typing in his password he brought up the security for the Tower and made some adjustments to it. Based on what he saw in town he didn't want Starfire leaving again. Setting the system on lock down he moved onto another task. He pulled up the vault down in the storage room. This was the same vault he had stored X's suit in. Only Cyborg and he had access to anything inside. Clicking on one particular item inside, he pulled up the settings and decided to increase the power this item was using. He took several minutes staring at the screen before he finalized the changes. He felt sick to his stomach about this possibility but she wasn't giving him many options.

Before he could dwell on this feeling any longer there was a knock on the door. He really didn't want to answer it but went ahead and locked the computer before walking over. The door slid open and Starfire was standing on the other side.

"What," he didn't mean to sound as mad as he did and cleared his throat, "Did you need something?" He was expecting for her to tell him they were out of food or that she couldn't get the front door open.

"I should apologize for my actions. I have not been the fair to you." Robin crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway.

"And what about what happened earlier when you left? What you did downtown and all over the city?" She leaned in some and gave him a devious smile.

"I do not want to talk about that. I came to talk about how I have been treating you. It has not been nice and I would like to make up for it."

"Starfire, something is not right. You're violent and mean. I am worried about you."

"Yes, because we are friends. This is correct?"

"Of course we are." This statement caused her to move further into the room. On the way she reached out and grabbed his hand surprisingly gently but also forceful. Once they were several feet in the room the door automatically closed.

"Why are we just the friends?" Robin wasn't sure how to answer her. "We like each other's company, yes?"

"Star, we've been over this, it's just not a good time," he explained suddenly realizing where she was going with this.

"Why not? We do like each other. I know I like you and looking at you. And you like looking at me as well." She looked him up and down in an obvious way before biting her bottom lip. He gulped as she brought her hands around his waist to keep him from moving away from her.

"We're too busy for anything beyond being friends right now. I mean there's been all this stuff with you and now Beast boy. This really isn't the time for this."

"Do you have something better to do right now?" He wanted to pull away and reached down placing his hands on top of hers to push her hands away. "Robin, I'm bored," she whined.

"Starfire," he sighed softly, "You're not acting like yourself. I don't think you know what you're doing."

"What I said earlier, about you not knowing me, don't you want to?" She inched them closer to the bed and leaned in to kiss his neck. She nuzzled up more to his ear and lightly bit at his lobe. Robin heaved a deep breath and got around her.

"I want this to be real and it's just not," he walked over to the door and pressed the button to open it, "If you really consider us friends then you should care about what I want and I want you to leave." She crossed her arms and gave him a look. He wasn't sure if she was disappointed or angry. "Please." She dropped her arms suddenly and glared at him as she headed for the door. Once she left he locked the door and released the breath he was holding in. She had become so unpredictable lately he wasn't sure how she was going to react. His stomach felt like it was in knots from the encounter. He had to find what was causing this if for nothing else then to get his friend back.

A/N Yes I got my first review! So happy. Hope others will share their thoughts on the story. :D


	5. Chapter 5

As We Fall

Chapter five-Feral

Raven floated out of her room at a slower than normal pace. While she was well rested she still wanted to take it easy. It had taken a lot of energy to help Beast boy. Wondering down to the kitchen she realized it was already dark outside before checking the clock to see it was past 8:00. The others were nowhere in sight but there was a pretty significant mess in the main living area.

"Who hates our couch that much," she asked out loud to no one in particular as she noticed half of it was against the far wall while the other half was missing all the cushions that had been flung in the opposite direction. "Somehow I don't think I can blame this on Beast boy." She brought a hand out from under her cloak and began putting it back together. When she was finished she headed into the kitchen just as Starfire entered the room. She saw the couch now in one piece and frowned. Raven was a little surprised to see her but didn't react to her presence as she put the kettle on.

"You did not like my decorating?"

"Thought that was you. Can't sit on the couch when it's thrown all over the place, so no." Starfire sneered back at her comment and Raven went back to what she was doing. If Starfire wanted to intimidate anyone it wasn't going to be her, she wasn't in the mood.

"We can not all sleep the entire day, I suppose." Starfire meant it as an insult but Raven ignored it as she poured her tea and turned with a faint grin.

"You know who your behavior reminds me of? Blackfire." Starfire let out a laugh as she moved in closer.

"I am starting to understand my sister's behavior more everyday. This is the compliment, yes?"

"No and you know what Blackfire doesn't have? Any friends." The Tamaranean pulled back with the most unpleasant look on her face.

"I do not have to listen to this and certainly not from my supposed friends." She pushed off the counter and headed for the front door.

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After the situation in his room Robin went to the Medical bay and spent most of his day with Cyborg in hopes of being some help. Beast boy's condition really hadn't changed much since that morning when Raven had intervened. Robin was able to get a blood sample to see what he could figure out just from that.

"I know Raven is able to heal using her magic but I wonder what it was that she altered. I can still see some of the cells that were effected but they appear to be dormant. Not sure if they will stay that way though," Robin explained as he looked at the slide in front of him. Cyborg leaned in to look as well.

"The better question is if this is the same thing that's causing Starfire to act up can Raven heal her as well?"

"I hope so," Robin's tone was low and Cyborg could detect a hint of sadness in it.

"Hey man, we'll figure it out. Promise." Before their conversation could continue there was a sudden banging that felt like it could shake the entire Tower. The security system sounded and Cyborg tapped several buttons on his arm to figure out what was going on. "So you know how you locked down the Tower? Starfire's tryin to break down the front door." The two of them immediately left the room and headed downstairs. As they got to the foyer just off the kitchen Starfire was yelling in her native language as she slammed her fists against the metal door leaving new dents each time she hit it. Cyborg glanced in the kitchen to see Raven calming sitting there sipping her cup of tea.

"I'm guessing one of you locked us all in," she asked without looking in their direction. "Great idea."

"Yeah well you didn't see what she did to the city," Robin explained with a hint of annoyance in his tone. Raven didn't need any more details from him as she brought her hand up and quietly said her mantra. A black shadow took hold of Starfire's arms and held her off the ground, preventing her from doing any more damage. She turned the alien around so she could face the three of them.

"You need to calm down. You're acting like a child," Raven told her as Starfire violently struggled against her powers.

"I can act as I please," Star's eyes light up and she blasted Raven knocking her off her feet. The Tamaranean was now free again and flew into the main living area. She attempted to smash one of the large windows only to be shocked in the process. Cyborg grimace as he helped Raven to her feet.

"Just out of curiosity how locked down are we," he asked Robin.

"I maxed out the system. We can't let her out until we know what's going on." Starfire continued to look for a weak point but the more she tried the more she was electrocuted.

"Only problem with that is you locked her in here with us," Raven grumbled as Robin took a step closer to Star.

"Starfire! You have to stop or you're going to hurt yourself," he pleaded with her.

"I am not the one you should be worried about," she threatened and flew at him as fast as she could. He attempted to duck but stopped when he saw her disappear into thin air. Robin turned back to Raven who shrugged back. Starfire again hurried into the room from upstairs and charged at all three of them. Just as she got close the same thing happened and she vanished.

"Raven," Robin's tone had an edge to it, "That's not helping."

"Yeah but it's keeping anyone else from getting hurt soo..." He sighed heavily before heading into the living room. Opening a panel on the wall he hit a pattern into the buttons which caused steel shutters to slide down the windows in order to reinforce them.

"Robin, you sure about this?" Cyborg was starting to wonder about the steps they were taking at this point. Their leader closed his eyes knowing he didn't want to be here right now, fighting his best friend, locking her in away from society and putting the rest of his team at risk because of it.

"Yes, I'm sure. It's our responsibility to keep the city safe. Even if that means we're the threat." Starfire entered the room yet again.

"You will stop with the teleporting me," she declared angrily. Looking up she suddenly realized that the windows were covered and she flew over quickly firing star bolts as she went. The shutters held firm despite her efforts but the room quickly filled with smoke. "You will not lock me up," they all heard her yell in a threatening voice. Raven was able to lock onto her location through the smoke and brought her hand up again causing her to disappear once more.

"Let's see how long it takes her to get out the elevator shaft," Raven said with a smile.

"You're just making her angry, yah know," Cyborg told her.

"I'm trying to wear her out unless you want to fight her head on at full strength. It's not like we've ever prepared for something like this." Robin and Cyborg exchanged glances causing Raven to arch an eyebrow. Before she could ask the question they heard Starfire smash through the elevator and clawed the doors open with her bare hands. She let out a deep growl before flying at the cloaked Titan. As Raven went to teleport her again she swerved to the right and was about to fire at the three of them when Raven moved her aim and the alien disappeared again.

"I can do this all day," Raven stated in the happiest tone she could muster. It was quiet for a couple of minutes before there was a loud crash somewhere in the Tower. The sound reverberated off the walls and died down just as another crash took it's place.

"Where did you send her this time," Cyborg wondered out loud.

"The basement." Robin dropped his head into his palm as he heard what was inevitably another box of evidence she was throwing across the room. The chaos died down some and they all wondered if she was going to try to attack again. The lights flickered several times before going out completely. A soft humming of the back up generators could be heard from the basement. As the lights started to come back on, a loud banging echoed through the tower.

"Well that can't be good," Raven stated as the light shut off, leaving them in complete darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

As We Fall

Chapter six-Reaction

The Tamaranean charged at Robin with an angry yell. He jumped back bringing his arms up in front of his face to block her. As her eyes lit up a black shadow came from below shielding Robin from the green beam. A blast came from across the room and Starfire backed up to avoid Cyborg's attack.

"Star, I don't want to hurt you," he told her but continued to aim his cannon in her direction. She actually laughed at his statement.

"Why do any of you think you stand a chance against me?" Robin glanced over at Cyborg who let out a sigh and nodded back. Without a word, Robin tossed a couple of smoke bombs in her direction before ducking off to the side.

"Raven, keep her distracted." Cyborg said as he hurried after Robin.

"Right, no problem," she sarcastically answered wondering what they were up to but did as she was told. Bringing her hands up the shadows shifted towards Starfire. Before she could fly away it wrapped around her arms and legs pulling her back down. She let out an angry yell and started shouting insults at Raven in her own language.

"Yeah yeah, I'm a real Clorbag," Raven replied in a dry tone even though she was having a hard time holding onto her. She couldn't help but wonder if she was somehow stronger. Just as that thought went through her head, Starfire broke loose and fired at her. It took every ounce of strength she had in order to hold her off as she kept firing.

Cyborg paused to glance back at the fight and picked up speed to catch up to Robin.

"Man, you better hurry before she figures out what we're doing." Robin slid to a stop outside the vault and started punching in his password.

"I'm going as fast as I can." The door opened and Cyborg turned back again to the fight on the other side of the room. Robin hurriedly plugged something into the back of Cyborg's cannon. Typing in some final coding, the extra tech started charging up. "It's at 60% already, don't want to push it to 100." Cyborg nodded back as he aimed at Starfire. The blast was much stronger and hit her from behind. Unfortunately it also pushed Raven back as well and she brought her shadows up as a shield. Starfire slammed against the far wall, hitting the back of her head hard. She let out a yelp as she fell to the ground.

"Starfire," Robin realized how hard they had hit her and hurried over to see she was unconscious. He carefully brushed her hair off her face as he scooped her up. Cyborg disconnected his arm and shut the new weapon down. Before closing the vault he grabbed a large case sitting in the far back.

"Seriously, guys!" Raven rubbed the side of her head and let out a groan. Things were crazy enough as it was, she wasn't ready to deal with another complication like some secret super weapon they were keeping hidden in the basement. "What was that thing and why do we have it?"

"For situations like this one," Robin explained as he glanced back as Cyborg handed him a steel cylinder from the case he'd retrieved. He opened it and placed one of Starfire's arms inside. It closed and made a locking sound. He did the same to her other arm and connected them together.

"Hey aren't those like the hand cuffs from when we first met her," Raven walked over.

"Yeah," Robin's answer was soft and his expression seemed sad even though they had managed to finally stop Starfire. Once he knew she was secured he got up adjusting her in his arms and headed for the stairs.

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"Hope that's enough to hold her," Cyborg said as he tapped on the force field now in the center of their living room, "How we gonna feed her when she gets hungry?"

"We'll figure it out later. Right now we just need to keep her contained," Robin answered as he checked the levels on the temporary confinement. Originally Cyborg and he had designed this in case they ever had to hold an enemy in the Tower until they could hand them over to the proper authorities. He honestly had never thought he'd be using it on one of his own team mates. Just as that thought went through his head Raven cleared her throat as she got the final battery powered light in place and turned it on.

"So do you have something like this for each of us or just the one?" She glared at her leader as she crossed her arms, taking a seat on the couch.

"The weapon in the basement, handcuffs and containment field weren't ever meant for anyone on our team. We just have them as last resorts."

"Sure you say that but this isn't the first time you've had something that conveniently worked against us," She was referring to the time when Robin took on the persona of Red X and managed to take each of them down single handed.

"You're not normally the one to remind me of past mistakes," Robin said as he narrowed his gaze back at her.

"Hey," Cyborg broke it up before it became another fight, "I helped make these weapons, we designed them in case we were ever up against an enemy that was stronger than we could handle. Considering everything we've gone up against it only made sense. Wasn't anything we were trying to hide. Just kind of a need to know basis. You should be happy we had them otherwise we'd still be trying to stop her." Raven let out a huff in annoyance but didn't bother replying.

"Whoa, I feel like I missed some things," Beast boy wondered into the room, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

"You feeling any better, BB? Yah look a little less green there," Cyborg asked as he came around and flopped down on the couch next to Raven.

"I feel like I've been turned inside out. Definitely not up for any action right now," he motioned with his head towards the tech in front of the TV, "What's with the thingy?"

"Starfire went a little crazy on us," Raven explained.

"Well that sucks," Beast boy leaned his head against the back of the couch as he let out a tired sound. Robin decided to take a minute and headed out of the room. Even though Beast boy seemed to be doing a little bit better he still couldn't help but feel responsible for all of this. The last thing he needed was criticism considering he already felt guilty as it was. This was starting to feel like a nightmare, he never imagined anything like this happening. He realized none of them had eaten dinner after the fight but he felt more nauseated then hungry. The fight had left him feeling sore and he considered going to bed early. Walking slower then normal he turned the corner to see Silkie in front of Starfire's door.

"Sorry buddy. She's not in there," he explained as though the larva understood him. Carefully he picked him up and carried him into his room, figuring he just wanted some attention. When he got to his room he placed Silkie on the bed before landing hard on it himself. Bringing one of his arms up he covered his eyes and let out a heavy breath. He wasn't sure how long they had been fighting but he was exhausted. He hated the feeling that was twisting his stomach into knots. Doubt creeped into his thoughts as he wondered if they could get Starfire back to normal. He really hadn't ever considered how different she was from them. They had always focused on what they had in common. If they couldn't figure out what was wrong with her there was a chance she would have to leave earth and he doubted she would go voluntarily. He hated the idea of her having to leave. She had always been part of his team and without her he worried they would all fall a part. It was more than just a team after all, they were his closest friends and he had to do everything he could to keep them together and safe. All of them. This responsibility felt heavy in his chest and he turned onto his side to get more comfortable. Slowly his worries started to fade from his mind as he drifted off to sleep.

A/N-As always love me some reviews! :)


	7. Chapter 7

As We Fall

Author's Note-Thanks Eris and Sully 76 for the reviews. They really make my day!

Chapter seven: Aggression

The next morning the Tower was surprisingly quiet. Almost like the calm before the storm. Raven let out a yawn as she turned the page in the book she was reading. She had taken the late shift, sitting on the couch and occasionally looking up to check on their captive. Starfire was still unconscious which was making her job easier but also had her concerned. She didn't know of any weapon on earth that could keep a Tamarranean down this long. She wondered if this was a simple unforeseen consequence that just happened to be convenient. While she enjoyed the silence something about all of this bothered her. She felt on edge, wondering what would ever happen if her demon side ever took over. Would her friends try to help her or would they pull out some weapon she didn't know about and attack her as well. While she didn't deny that Starfire was out of control, she still felt there was another way to handle the situation. Concluding this thought process was stressing her out she pressed her hand against the side of her aching head and went back to her book. She heard a crash that sounded like it came from the hallway and she let out a heavy sigh, knowing the quiet morning was over. Cyborg was yelling something and she groaned in response knowing she should see what was going on.

"You're gonna make a mess!" Her metal friend backed his way out of the hall followed by green T-Rex that appeared to be stalking him. Raven calmly closed her book and headed over reluctantly.

"What's his problem, now?"

"He won't listen. Not sure what's going on cause he won't transform back to normal and talk to me." The T-Rex growled in response as he continued moving slowly towards them both.

"Is it me or does he seem hungry," Raven noticed as she kept at a safe distance.

"Yes and he's making me nervous," Cyborg practically tripped over his own feet. Before Beast boy could get any closer to them he changed into a dog but his stance didn't change as he growled and moved slowly towards them. Suddenly he leaped at them ready to strike. Raven brought her hands up to stop him mid-air and he continued to snarl and growl at her. He finally changed back to normal to glare at her.

"Let...me...go,...Raven," he demanded as drool ran down his chin.

"Are you going to eat us," Cyborg asked even more apprehensive now that they were having a conversation.

"Let...me...go..."

"What did you do to make him so mad," Raven asked Cyborg as she kept Beast boy where he was.

"I didn't do anything to him, I just walked out of my room and he was in the hallway just standing there."

"...Can't...control...it...," Beast boy muttered as his eyes rolled up and he transformed suddenly into a wolf and then again into a cat only seconds later. The green cat was howling and hissing still unable to get to the ground.

"I hate to ask," Raven started, "but do we have another one of those confinement trap things like the one we're using on Starfire?"

"Not sure. I only helped Robin make one."

"I'm not going to be able to hold him forever like this, yah know," she explained unable to move her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Beast boy changed again this time into shark and thrashed back and forth obviously irritated with the situation.

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Robin woke up to a loud pounding on his door. Rolling over he realized how much his entire body ached. He suddenly felt something wet run up the side of his face and opened his eyes to see Silkie licking him. The night before came back to mind and he let out a groan. Pushing Silkie away he attempted to put himself back together some as he answered the door. Cyborg was out in the hallway and appeared to be uneasy. Robin's eyebrow twitched as he tucked his shirt in and straightened his hair some.

"What happened now?" He could only assume it was Starfire throwing a fit once she realized she was locked up.

"Do we have any more of those fancy confinement fields?"

"Seriously?" His eyebrow twitched even more.

'Would you two hurry up and get back here," Robin was quick to rub his aching head as Raven's voice echoed through his mind. Cyborg didn't seem to get the same message.

"Guess we need to make another trip down to the basement," He said in an annoyed tone as he lead the way to the elevator. By the time they got back to the living room, Raven was now sitting on the floor, barely holding Beast boy back as a raptor version of him was trying to break through her force field.

"It's fine,...just take your time," she sarcastically grunted at them. Robin snapped out of it and placed the base on the floor, sliding it in Beast boys direction. The device lit up and Raven dropped her arms at her sides. Beast boy seemed confused by this new cage as he pushed it's limits, trying to break free. Raven rose to her feet, brushing her outfit off.

"I'm going to need a vacation after we figure this all out," she said as she gained her composure. She regarded her two remaining teammates. It was clear no one really got much sleep last night. Robin could try to hide it all he wanted but it was clear he was fatigued both physically and emotionally. Cyborg also seemed less enthusiastic as well as he seemed to be hunched over some and let out a particularly long yawn.

"Just out of curiosity why do we have four of those confinement devices," Cyborg asked quietly. Robin's mouth twisted to the side, certain of where this conversation was going.

"Because that's how many I had made."

"In case we all go crazy some day," Raven added, "or evil. Guess you never know with this team."

"That's not why. The first one was honestly a prototype and I've been trying to make them better as we go. You guys keep giving me the third degree about this but so far they've been pretty convenient considering."

"Convenient...," Beast boy muttered from his confinement. He was back to his normal form still trying to figure out how to get out. Robin cleared his throat and reached out to get Raven's attention again.

"Look, Raven. I don't like this any more then any of us..." She turned abruptly, eyes glowing red.

"Don't touch me," she growled pulling her shoulder away from his hand. He immediately brought both hands up showing he was complying. She shook it off and pulled her hood over her eyes more, "long night. I'll be in my room meditating," Before the other two could stop her she slipped into the floor.

"Well that's not good," Cyborg stated the obvious before moving towards the kitchen. Robin remained where he was, worry seeping into his expression. "You know I wasn't accusing you of anything, right?"

"Well everyone wants to keep bringing it up though," Robin exclaimed from across the room, "I'm just trying to keep things together as best I can and I keep getting criticized for it." He slumped his shoulders and headed into the kitchen as well to get some breakfast.

"Well it doesn't help when you do things that no one else on the team knows about. You have to admit that if any of us did something behind your back, you'd be a little suspicious too." Robin slouched even more.

"This just isn't the time for us to be fighting over motives that weren't there. If nothing else we should be coming together more as a team right now, at least until we can get Beast boy and Starfire back to normal." He opened the fridge and frowned when he realized there wasn't really anything to eat. He sighed heavily.

"Hungry...," Beast boy groaned from across the room before changing into a bird and pecking at the clear part of the enclosure. He then turned into an insect, thinking if he was small enough he could get out. No luck.

"Guess we should get some food in this place and figure out how we're gonna feed those two," Cyborg mentioned receiving a nod from their leader. At least that was one problem he could solve.

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Raven scrunched her face as she struggled to clear her mind. Maybe it was everything that was going on lately but she couldn't seem to focus. She closed her eyes tighter and sucked in a particularly deep breath. Just as she thought she had found her calm darkness seemed to creep in. Conflicting emotions rushed at her like waves on the sand. It felt as though they were right on top of her and she found it hard to breath. Leaning back she fell from her perch and landed hard on the floor. Pounding her fists her eyes burned a deep red and she let out an angry yell. As she sat up she realized her skin was also turning a deep red and she let out a gasp. Quietly she quoted her spell over and over again until she felt the shadows slink into the corners of her room. Glancing down her hands appeared pale once more and she sighed a breath of relief. This was not the time for this to happen. They already had enough to deal with right now. She had to get a grip on her emotions before things could get any worse.


	8. Chapter 8

As We Fall

Chapter eight: Darkness

"Oh Robin," The Titan's leader perked up from his seat in the kitchen when he heard his name called from across the room. Starfire's tone was seductive as she leaned against the confinements clear walls as far as she could in his direction. "Why are you all the way over there?" She kept pressing her entire body towards him trying to lure him over. He dropped his shoulders and hunched forward causing his cape to cover the front of his uniform as well. At least Beast boy was finally quiet after he tried practically every form possible to break out. He was now curled up at the bottom growling and grumbling but not saying any actual words. Robin felt like their babysitter at this point. "Robiiinn," Starfire beckoned as she slid down some. She was making it impossible for him to get any work done. He was loading a couple of tranquilizer guns for back up. He wasn't even sure if the strongest dosage would work on Starfire but he didn't want to rely on the weapon in the basement either. "Robin," Her tone was short this time as she was starting to get annoyed that he was ignoring her.

"What," he snapped back but didn't turn. She dragged her nails down the wall of her prison.

"I'm bored, come play with me." Her statement caused a chill to shoot up his back and he sat up straighter in shock. She grinned at his sudden response.

"No," he tried to sound firm but his voice cracked slightly and he cleared his throat as he went back to work.

"Why won't you look at me?" He let out a heavy sigh.

"I know you don't understand but you're not acting like yourself." His statement caused her to slam her fists against the wall.

"Let me out!" She backed away when he didn't respond and brought her hands forward. It felt like several minutes passed as she blasted the wall of the confinement. Eventually she stopped once she realized it wasn't going to work. He was relieved that it held firm against her attack. "Robin!" He groaned in response.

"How about you quit it," Raven suggested in an annoyed tone as she entered the room, "I can hear you all the way upstairs." Her voice came out low and threatening.

"Raven, it's fine. I'll handle it," their leader told her as he raised a hand in an effort to calm everyone down.

"The way you handle everything around here," her question came out in a growl and her eyes glowed red, "I've been thinking about it and I want to know something," she turned her anger in his direction as she lifted off the floor. Rising even higher she continued to glare down at him. "When did you start making all these weapons?" Black tentacles crawled out from under her cloak and snaked their way towards him. Moving quickly he got up on the counter and grabbed one of the tranquilizer guns in case he had to use it.

"We can talk about this if you want but not here," he suggested.

"No, now," she seethed as shadows started to close in around him.

"Raven, I think the same thing that's effecting the other two is making you say this stuff."

"Answer my question!" He let out a heavy sigh knowing if he answered her it would only make her angrier.

"Cyborg and I started working on the weapons right after the situation with Trigon." Raven bared her teeth and let out a yell as the shadows around them started going crazy. Robin fired several darts in her direction but they were easily absorbed. "Raven, please. You have to calm down."

"You think I'm a threat, that all of us are a problem that needs to be controlled." She barely sounded like herself as she moved closer to him.

"What is goin on here!" Robin heard Cyborg call from the front door. He dropped the groceries and fired his cannon at demonic presence in the center of the room. "Don't know what set you off but you need to chill out," he hollered at her. She turned her rage in his direction. Robin saw his opening and fired at her again. This time the dart hit her and she started to falter. The shadows slipped back and Robin had to move fast as she started to fall.

"Raven!" he slid in place just in time to catch her and noticed she was paler than normal. Pulling his glove off with his teeth he pressed the back of his hand against her forehead. "You're sick too...why didn't you say anything," he stated bitterly. She reached up and pulled his hand away.

"I...I tried to control it... Just wasn't able to." Her expression seemed remorseful even though her eyes hadn't returned to normal yet. "You're gonna have to lock me up too."

"Let's not jump to that right away, looks like you've got in under control for now," Cyborg suggested as he knelt down next to the two of them. He helped Raven up and she took a couple of shaky steps towards the kitchen before almost going down again. Robin was back on his feet but Cyborg got to her first helping her over to a chair. Robin went over to the stove to put the kettle on. "You've been pushing it hard like the rest of us, just take it easy for a while." A snicker from across the room caught their attention.

"The rest of us would also like to take the easy," Starfire hollered as she banged her fists against the confinement.

"Yes, want out," Beast boy agreed still in his laid back position from his own prison. Cyborg could tell they were bothering Robin as he kept his back to them and his shoulders stiffened. He hit a couple of buttons on his arm and the room instantly became silent.

"Is it Christmas cause that was the best gift ever," Raven commented as she rubbed her temple, missing the half grin Cyborg gave her. She closed her eyes and took in a particularly deep breath. She could feel the darkness creeping back and her hand started to shake. She pulled it beneath her cloak worried that everything she did now her two teammates noticed. "If it gets too bad, I can probably heal myself but it means I won't be any help for awhile." Robin placed a fresh cup of herbal tea in front of her and she looked up to quietly thank him. The concern written all over his face caused her heart to ache in her chest. She never wanted to be an inconvenience to the team. Robin stepped back next to Cyborg and the two of them appeared to be keeping an eye on her, almost apprehensively. She took in another deep breath and reached for her tea once her hands steadied. "It's not normally my place to say this but we need a plan here. What are we going to do once it's down to the two of you?"

Her statement didn't make either of them feel any better about the situation. Robin straightened up more as he crossed his arms over his chest and Cyborg proceeded to rub his chin, contemplating their next move.

"At this point I think we need to reach out to some of the other Titans. Cyborg, we should send out an SOS, let the others know whats going on and see if anyone can help."

"What if no one can help us? Then what," Raven asked the obvious, still feeling a pressure in the room that no one else could feel.

"Right now this is all we can do. If it fails we'll cross that bridge when we get there," Robin decided still trying to be optimistic.

"I'll reach out to Titans East and go from there. For all we know we're not the only ones dealing with this," Cyborg said before heading out of the room to do just what he said he would. Raven pulled her hood lower over her eyes and brought her hands around her cup, holding it close. She could feel Robin's concern coming off him in waves. There was no avoiding it no matter how much she tried to. He leaned forward on the counter in front of her, sighing heavily.

"Stop worrying so much about me. It's hard enough to breath in here."

"Sorry, I'm not trying to make things worse for you." His apology didn't make it any better. Slowly she rose to her feet and made eye contact with him. The air in the room became unbearably heavy, weighed down not just by his feelings about her but also the despair about the entire situation. That's how it usually was though between them. Everyone else in the room only heard his confidence. She was the only one who knew how he really felt, the burden he carried as the leader of the team. Between his feelings and the impending darkness lurking nearby she couldn't take it any more.

"I'll be in my room," she stated abruptly as a dark shadow came up from the ground and she disappeared into it. Robin quietly laced his fingers together and leaned his chin on his hands. Now standing there alone he felt all the more that he was losing his team and needed to get a grip on the situation before things got any worse.

Author's notes-Would love some more reviews, love to hear the reader's insight especially on this story. :D


	9. Chapter 9

As We Fall

A/N-Thanks again for the reviews. I have been working a little longer on this chapter and hope everyone likes it. :)

Chapter nine: Infiltrated

Cyborg practically fell backwards as he barely avoided a projectile of slime. This creature was just like the last one they fought before the rest of the team started getting sick. He made it a point not to get any of this stuff on him just in case. Robin jumped overhead as he threw several small bombs. Cyborg was quick to duck behind a dumpster before the explosions went off. Robin swung up to a nearby roof and took a minute to catch his breath. He was barely able to stay two steps ahead throughout the entire fight and couldn't seem to think straight. His head was throbbing but he had to push forward. He glanced down to see what damage he'd manage to do and had to duck back down again as Cyborg's cannon blasted upwards almost hitting him. It was sporadic enough to make him wonder if he wasn't at his best either. The thought made him second guess if they should have even answered the call earlier. He wasn't sure if the two of them could handle this problem.

"Seems tougher then the last one," Cyborg shouted only confirming Robin's suspicions. They could either go down trying their best or leave it for someone else to deal with who had more resources. Until Robin decided to retreat, Cyborg would keep fighting. Just as he thought that he decided to pull out the big guns as he pressed several buttons on his wrist. The back of the T-Car opened up and four small rockets fired at the poisonous creature. He was relieved that at least something was still reliable as all four shots made contact, irritating the target. The behemoth's tentacles started to sway back and forth eventually hitting Cyborg and sending him flying. Robin dodged the attacks as he made his way down to his teammate. The creature moved in quickly blocking their escape route to the car. Robin helped his teammate up and was thankful to see he wasn't hurt badly.

He looked around for an escape route but they were backed into a corner. Before he could figure anything else out there was a sudden explosion that hit the creature from behind. Both Titans ducked as slime splattered everywhere.

"Well isn't that just great," Cyborg stated half jokingly only to get a look from Robin who was covered in the black ooze. He slowly pushed his hair out of his face and shook his cape off before draping it around his shoulders. He was already feeling bad and being doused in the poisonous goo didn't make him feel any better. He must have lost track of what was going on when he looked up and noticed Cyborg was no longer next to him but talking to someone a couple of feet away. There were also several men wearing white bio hazard suits cleaning up the slimy mess. He was having a hard time wrapping his head around the situation. Before he was able to get a better grasp on things a stranger stuck their hand out to shake his. He looked up to see a man in a dark suit with a wide grin on his face.

"Robin, it's a pleasure to meet you," He was more enthusiastic then Robin could stand right now as his introverted tendencies were starting to come out.

"Who are you," he narrowed his gaze, not taking shaking his hand. Cyborg walked over as the man introduced himself.

"Jones, Warren Jones. I'm the one overseeing the clean up today." Robin looked around as Jones' team continued to work quickly.

"Well aren't they efficient," Cyborg observed under his breath.

"So what company did you say sent you out," Robin asked as he started to glaze over.

"I didn't," Warren stated matter of factly to the heroes. Robin grunted as he stifled a shiver and decided he wasn't up to continue the conversation. He could feel his skin crawling and was desperate for a shower and a clean uniform. Glancing to his left he regarded Cyborg who also didn't seem to be feeling very well either. Deciding there was nothing else to do here he headed towards the T-car and was quick to notice Cyborg following after him.

"Do you think these are the same guys who cleaned up that last situation," Cyborg asked as he opened the driver's side door. Robin let out a sudden loud sneeze that caught Cyborg off guard. Wiping his nose with his gloved hand he shrugged back. The scene seemed completely out of character for the Titan's leader.

"I don't know and right now I don't really care," His voice confirmed how congested he was as he opened his door and slid in. He had managed to keep it together in front of Mr. Jones but was falling apart pretty quickly now. Buckling his seat belt he shifted in the seat to get comfortable. Cyborg started up the engine and they headed back home in silence except for the occasional sneeze.

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Raven woke up to the security alarm going off through out the Tower. She wondered if Starfire or Beast boy had finally managed to get out. If that happened she didn't know if she could fight either of them off in her current condition. She was also worried that she could lose control at any minute. Grudgingly she teleported through the floor to the security room to see what had caused it to go off. It took every ounce of energy to squint at the monitors through the headache pounding against her skull. She watched as several men rushed in through the front door. They were armed and wearing Kevlar from head to toe. It was clear that they came for a fight and even though she wasn't feeling well she was determine to make them regret breaking in.

Beast boy perked up from his laid back position in his confinement as five men approached him. With a shrug he brought his head back down remaining curled up like a cat. Starfire was more alerted by their presence as she hovered in anticipation.

"Are you here to let us out?" There was no answer as they went to work attaching devices at the bases of each confinement.

"Letting them out really isn't such a good idea," Raven stated from across the room. She had already apprehended and unarmed the two men that were keeping watch at the front door. "Actually I think you should all leave and not come back. It's a bad time." Three men turned aiming their guns in her direction. "Tried to warn you..." she brought her hand up as her eyes turned red. The guns were yanked out of their hands and she tossed them against the far wall. Before she could get to the other two they had managed to get the confinement shields down. Starfire was unable to enjoy her freedom as one of the intruders pulled out a taser and shocked her. They didn't stop until they knew she wouldn't get back up. Beast boy saw them coming for him and transformed into a T-Rex. Setting the unconscious Tamaranean down the intruders turned to deal with the dinosaur in the room. Beast boy swung his tail around and hit both men. They managed to get back up surprisingly quickly. Raven started in his direction to help when she was also shocked from behind. Thankfully it wasn't enough to knock her out as she went down. She turned to see several more men enter the Tower. Before she was able to attack again one of them placed a device around her neck and she felt her strength drain, ending the fight for her. Beat boy transformed again into a large bird in an attempt to get away but a net was launched from below and he was pulled back down where a taser awaited him.

"Get all three of them under control. Boss wants everyone," Raven heard one of the men standing by the door say. "Hold up a second," he listened intently to someone speaking in his earpiece as he placed a hand up. He smirked in a way that made Raven uneasy. "Seems the other two targets just arrived as well." She closed her eyes trying desperately to focus.

_'Please work, please work...'_ she put everything she had into her thoughts, _'Robin...'_ she knew he heard her, _'Get out of the Tower, we've been attacked.'_

_'Raven!' _Just then the elevator dinged causing any hope she had retreat into the shadows. Cyborg and Robin were greeted by six of the men with guns aimed at them. They both brought their hands up and one of the intruders motioned for them to step out into the room. Both Titans exchanged glances and Cyborg quickly fired up through the roof of the elevator. The blast ripped through the wires and they fell from view before anyone could react.

"For the record, this is one of the craziest ideas we've ever had," Cyborg hollered. Robin didn't bother answering as he went to work opening a panel next to the door and putting in a sequence of commands. The auxiliary brakes kicked in bringing the car to a screeching halt. Robin let out the breath he had been holding, relieved they stopped in time. Cyborg pried the doors open to reveal they were close enough to one of the lower floors to slip out of the car.

"We need to move, they'll most likely come looking for us," Robin stated as he looked down that hallway to make sure the coast was clear. Motioning to Cyborg, they ran as fast as they could towards the stairwell. Just as they made it to the door it opened as several men entered the floor. Robin slid to a stop almost tripping over his own feet. Cyborg started firing as he attempted to hurry back the way they came. Lazily, Robin shot his grappling gun in order to propel himself away from the intruders. He realized he was running out of steam quickly. As he and Cyborg made it back to the elevator they could hear more of them coming down the shaft.

They were surrounded and realized there was nowhere to go.


	10. Chapter 10

As We Fall

Chapter ten-Realty

Author's notes-Some mature stuff in this chapter. Let me know what you think.

-Cyborg-

He wasn't sure how he got here. Sure it seemed familiar, the smells and sounds but he didn't remember coming to this place or where he had been beforehand. Someone was calling a name that sounded familiar but he didn't know if they were talking to him.

'Victor!" He was suddenly shaken by his shoulders. "Victor, hey! Carter's injured so you're in. Got about a minute left. Come on!" He blinked several times before he realized where he was. The stadium was filled with cheering fans. Glancing down he saw his helmet sitting next to him on the bleacher. He finally made eye contact with his teammate who was giving him an odd look. "Hey man, are you feeling okay? Sure you can play?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah. I'm good." He instinctively grabbed his helmet and headed towards the field. This place brought back so many memories and he honestly never thought he would be here again. A sentimental feeling came over him as he took off running, looking back as he went. Ducking left past another player he reached skyward in order to catch the ball coming towards him. There was a satisfying feeling as he caught the ball and took off towards the end zone. He zigged then zagged around the other team's players. As he made it to the end zone he heard the ref's whistle and the crowd applauded loudly as he breathed in the moment. Dropping his gaze, he clutched the ball tightly enjoying how it felt in his hands. It all seemed so surreal. Again he heard that name and looked up to see both his mom and his dad coming down from the bleachers. He wasn't sure why but for some reason he was having a hard time walking towards them. Breathing seemed difficult as well. Before he could get a grip on the situation his teammates were surrounding him in congratulations. There were a couple of slaps on the shoulder and someone decided it was a good idea to dump a cooler of melted ice on him as well. Initially he panicked but not because the water was cold. The more he thought about it he wondered why it bothered him but knew it wasn't worth focusing on in the moment. As the crown dispersed, he walked towards the bleachers to see his parents before heading to the locker room with his team.

"That was quite the game, son," his mom commented, "Well done." He couldn't help but smile at the compliment.

"You know I heard there were recruiters in the stands tonight. You might be getting some attention if you keep playing like this," his dad added as he checked his watch. He remembered he was always busy and was honestly surprised he managed to make it to this game as it was.

"Thanks. Are you heading home after this or back to the office?" His dad let out an impatient sigh.

"No, your mother wants us to all go out to celebrate once you've changed. We'll meet you at the car." He nodded back absentmindedly before his mom leaned down and gave him a hug.

"So proud of you, Victor," she stated before heading back up the stairs. The walk back to the locker room took longer then it should have. Even through his couch's praises for everyone's efforts, his mind seemed to wonder but to no where in particular. After his shower, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. By now most of his teammates had already left. Something wasn't right, he didn't feel right. It was as though something was missing but he wasn't sure what that was. His sense of touch seemed off. He remembered everything feeling numb up to a short while ago. Aside from that he still didn't remember anything before the game. No pep talk from the couch, not getting in his uniform, no pregame conversations with his teammates. And he was pretty sure he would remember his dad saying he'd actually come to a game considering he hadn't been to any this season.

Then there was his reflection. He remembered for a long time avoiding mirrors if he could help it but now, staring at himself he couldn't figure out what the problem was. Letting out a sigh he pulled on his jacket and tossed his gym bag over his shoulder. Something definitely wasn't right but he really didn't even know where to begin.

0000000000

-Robin-

He wearily opened his eyes taking in his surroundings. It didn't look like his room, in fact he didn't seem to even be in the Tower. His normal suspicious tendencies didn't kick in as he found himself content just laying in bed for a change. There was movement nearby and he turned to see Starfire next to him covered in nothing but a white sheet. She smiled at him contently and he turned towards her only to realize he wasn't wearing anything either. He must had blushed at the thought because she let out a soft gleeful laugh. It was genuine and always had a calming effect on him.

"Star, where are we?" She reached up, running her fingers across his cheek and brushing them over his lips before snuggling closer to him.

"Did you get enough sleep?"

"Uh I guess but I don't remember what happened before we got here. You seem to be feeling more like yourself now though, right?" She brushed her nose against his.

"You seemed to enjoy earlier," she mentioned in a knowing tone.

"Um...yes?" He was suddenly very self conscious as he noticed her fingers now tracing down his stomach muscles and past his navel. She rested her hand on his hip and brought her gaze up, making eye contact with him. He felt movement behind him and glanced back to the familiar presence. "...R..Raven!?" He stumbled over his words as she pressed up against his backside and he realized she too was naked under the sheets with them. He instinctively sat up disappointing both of them.

"Then you did not enjoy earlier," Starfire leaned in against his pillow in disappointment.

"He liked it, trust me. I just don't think he realized Tamarraneans did things like that," Raven explained with an oddly pleasant smile on her face, "Are you going to leave? That's not really fair now that it's my turn." This situation was getting stranger by the minute.

"Yes you must stay. Raven was going to let me watch," Starfire exclaimed sending his mind reeling. Raven reached up and gently pulled him back to the bed between the two of them.

"We do have an emotional bond," She leaned next to his ear before adding, "I know all the things you really want." He gulped in response before he heard a banging on the door across the room.

"D...did you guys hear that," he asked clearing his throat.

"No," her hand disappeared from view sending a wave of pleasure up his spine, "Mmm, clearly you'd rather stay here with us." She grinned as she pumped his erection.

"Raven," Starfire pouted as they both disappeared under the sheets, "you said you'd show me..." After a couple of giggles and hushed voices he felt a sudden warmth around his length that caused any thoughts of concern melt away.

_'I told you I know what you like.'_

_'Raven, what are you doing...you're...'_ his mind went blank as he felt her fingers wrap around his shaft as well. He let out a pleasant sound and arched his back. He heard Starfire laugh again before pushing the sheets out of the way and pressing up against his side.

"You should get to watch too," she told him before kissing his neck. With all this attention that he wasn't used to getting it didn't take him long to be pushed over the edge. As the pleasure started to die down and he could think straight again, he sat up some still in a daze. Starfire looking at him inquisitively while Raven simply gave him a knowing grin. "My turn now," Starfire asked or rather declared. Raven replied before Robin could.

"You have to let him rest a minute," She explained causing Starfire to pout. Robin pushed past both of them as he made it to the edge of the bed.

"I need more then just a minute, This doesn't make any sense," he searched for his clothes but was only able to find his boxers. He hurried into the bathroom to wash his face. He had to figure out what was going on.


	11. Chapter 11

As We Fall

Chapter eleven-Changes

Author's notes-Wow, two chapters in one night, that should seriously be worth some reviews. right?

Beast boy-

The Tower was surprisingly empty as he walked through looking for any of his teammates. Staring out the window in the main room he realized it was pouring outside. He grimaced realizing it would be best to stay in this evening. Wondering into the kitchen he started rummaging for something to eat. He was sure his friends had a call that he missed or something like that.

"Ugh, no Tofu? Man that sucks," he grumbled as he closed the refrigerator door. He thought he heard a knock at the front door. The others wouldn't knock and he casually walked into the foyer, listening. The second knock was just as soft as the first one. Opening the door he stared out into the darkness. No one seemed to be there and he scratched his head wondering what happened. Turning to go back inside he heard his name and stopped in his tracks.

"Beast boy?" She actually sounded scared as he turned around. He wasn't sure how long she'd been out in this weather but her school uniform was completely drenched and dirty.

"Terra," he was certain he looked shocked.

"I didn't know where else to go. I hit my head and suddenly I remembered everything, the stuff with Slade and the Titans,...and you. I knew I had to see you." She looked as though she was on the verge of tears and he was quick to pull her inside.

"Terra, what happened to you? I mean we all thought you were dead but then you weren't but couldn't remember anything. I just don't," she quickly hugged him hard and started to sob, "hey it's gonna be okay."

"I was so horrible to you. I'm so sorry."

"Hey I get it, you were being manipulated. If you need help, I'll help you. Promise." She pulled away from him wiping her eyes.

"But it's so much more then that, you did nothing but be nice to me and I just threw it all away. When everything came back there were so many emotions and I realized some things."

"We should get you out of those clothes," he said and then gaped at his own words, "I mean, you know find you some dry clothes and I don't know maybe you should get cleaned up. That's what I meant, yeah," his voice squeaked at the blunder. There was no answer from her as she leaned forward and brought her arms around his skinny form. Her lips met his and he stared in shock.

_'She's kissing me!' _He considered flailing his arms or panicking but instead decided to be cool about the whole thing. She pulled back suddenly and pulled some damp hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry, that was so stupid, I just..." Quietly he leaned his forehead against her.

"Terra, I've never thought you were stupid," His smile was contagious and she grinned faintly as well, "I'm really glad you came back here." He received a nod from her that seemed to turn into a shiver, "Oh yeah, forgot. Here I'll get you some towels and you can go take a shower," He led the way upstairs to the main bathroom. Leaving her outside the door he headed down the hallway to the linen closet. Heading back he realized she was already in the bathroom and heard the water running. He thought about the kiss and excitement surged through him. Knocking quietly, he opened the door and attempted to just place the towels down. Before he knew it he was yanked inside. Even through the thick steam he could see Terra standing there with her white school blouse unbuttoned. He could barely see the blush staining her cheeks as she removed her shirt and then proceeded to take her skirt off as well. Somewhere between that moment and the next he had lost his clothes as well and they were both in the shower kissing. He remembered it started when he kissed her mouth and then he had moved to her neck. At some point she kissed his neck and collar bone as her arms held him against her. She let out a playful laugh, one he had remembered from so many years ago. It actually brought pain to his heart and he instinctively pulled away.

"It's just that you're so much taller now. All those times I thought of you, of us you were you know shorter then me." Her statement caused him to puff out his chest and stand a little straighter.

"Well you know, I work out and stuff," He bragged giving her his best grin. She laughed even more at his antics before smiling back contently.

"That's definitely true," she replied as her gaze wondered down some. He suddenly felt self conscious and pulled her attention back up.

"My eyes are up here," she smiled pleasantly before he leaned down to kiss her again. She sighed softly into the kiss and again he felt a heaviness in his chest. '_What is with this feeling? Why can't I just enjoy this?' _He did his best to push whatever doubt he was feeling away, determined to enjoy this moment he had only dreamed of.

00000000000

-Starfire-

She must have zoned out staring at the eggs cooking in the skillet. Letting out a particularly loud yawn, the Tamarranean scratched her head and attempted to fix her disheveled hair but to no avail. Picking up a pair of tongs she grabbed the bacon deciding it was finished. Sniffing the air she realized the waffles were ready as well. She quickly grabbed them without any utensils needed.

"Isn't that hot," she heard his voice from behind as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Her heart still fluttered in her chest when he was nearby. She placed the waffles on the two plates before turning around to face him.

"Morning, Robin," she smiled brightly at him. Even though she knew his real name Robin was how he introduced himself back when they first met so she preferred to call him that. These days she was the only one who did."Are you hungry?"

"Famished," he returned her smile before retrieving two mugs for them. She turned back to the eggs right before they burnt and plated them as well. "You don't usually cook what brought this on?" He poured the coffee and followed her to the table.

"I wanted to do something nice for you," She sat down and took a second to enjoy their view. They were no longer living in the Tower with the other Titans but their apartment still had a nice view of the bay. It had been a nice change from their busy life before. So many things were different now but it didn't bother her. While she had enjoyed fighting villains and protecting the people of earth, it was also nice spending time with Robin and having a normal life together. She turned her attention back to Robin in anticipation. She was so hopeful that her food tasted good. He eyed her suspiciously knowing that he was driving her crazy.

"Oh, you must taste the food, please?"

"Why, are you trying to poison me," he leaned in her direction accusingly but had that sneaky grin that she always found adorable in place.

"No, I desire to know if you like it," She chewed on her bottom lip and squirmed in her seat. Concluding that he had tortured her long enough, he took a bite of eggs and nodded back at her, "It is good, yes?"

"It's really good, Star." She squealed with glee, "Mmm hhmm, but you think you could grab the hot sauce in the fridge?" She nodded and flew over, opening the door. Inside she noticed a small empty black box like the kind jewelry usually came in.

"Hey, Robin..." She turned to see him kneeling close by holding a ring up to her.

"Wasn't really sure how to ask you this but..," She practically tackled him unexpectedly to the floor, "Is that a yes?" She sat up and had already slid the ring on her finger in order to get a better look at it. He honestly wasn't sure how she even managed to get it away from him.

"You know on Tamaran you would have to go out into the wild and kill the largest Flornop. Then you would present it to my family for permission,' she stated matter of factly. Robin couldn't help but smile as he scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen. On earth I just have to ask and get you a shiny ring." Starfire lifted her hand to admire the solitary diamond more.

"It is a perfect fit. How did you know what size?"

"I might have measured your finger while you slept," he let out a soft chuckle.

"That is very odd, yes?"

"Only slightly stalkerish," he teased before giving her a serious look, "I promised you I was giving up the crime fighting thing for us, I wanted to show how committed I am."

"And that you like me." Her statement made him laugh again.

"Yeah, I guess so." he joked back, "Do you like it? She practically tackled him again but at the same time trying not to crush him. "I'm pretty sure breakfast is getting cold," he reminded her.


	12. Chapter 12

As We Fall

Chapter twelve-Captured

Raven-

Raven looked up from her book realizing it was unusually quiet. Glancing at the clock in her room she realized no one had bothered her for five...no six hours.

"Well clearly this isn't real," she mused deciding to see what the rest of the team was up to. She teleported to the main area to a typical scene. Beast boy and Cyborg were busy playing video games while Robin and Starfire were hanging out in the kitchen. They looked as though they had just finished sparing in the gym. There was an odd calm in the tower that didn't seem normal. "So," she leaned on the kitchen counter across from Starfire and Robin, "any trouble brewing that we need to take care of?"

"Actually nothing's come up," Robin explained, "Been this way for about a week. I actually looked in to it and apparently the Mayor increased funding for the JCPD and they're now moving any criminals considered a high risk factor for the city to Arkham so we have less reoccurring incidents."

"That sure is convenient," Raven stated dryly, "So this means I get to go back to my room and be left alone?" Robin shrugged back at her.

"If you want to. Anything comes up, we'll let you know."

"Sounds great." She turned and headed down the hallway towards her room. Just as expected she heard footsteps behind her.

"Everything okay?" She heard Robin ask.

"Of course, almost perfect, right?" He scratched the side of his head as though he was confused.

"Is it a bad thing that we're not needed?" She turned back to him with an odd smirk on her face.

"You tell me. Sure it seems good but we both know you can't sit still for long." He gave her a knowing smile.

"Yeah but I know it also means we have time to do other stuff, maybe even have a life. Don't you want that?" He actually seemed a little concern that this news didn't make her at least a little bit happy.

"This doesn't all seem oddly convenient to you? Whatever happen with the team being infected? Did that just go away?"

'Seems to have. Everyone's fine now."

'Like I said all seems a little too convenient. Never thought you'd be more laid back about something that effected the entire team."

"Gotta catch a break every once and a while, right?"

"We've never gotten one before so why now?"

"Why isn't it working on this one," Raven glanced around trying to figure out where the unembodied voice came from.

"I knew this was too good to be true," Raven mentioned before closing her eyes and stating her mantra. Robin and the hallway vanished and everything faded to black.

000000000

Raven cautiously opened her eyes, squinting through the bright light above. There were machines cluttering the room which looked an awful lot like a lab. She tried to move only to realize her arms and legs were restrained. She also seemed to be in some kind of tank that was full of liquid like water. That would definitely explain the tube forcing air into her lungs. Her clothes had been changed as well. Looked like white pajamas. Everything started to come back and she remembered the attack on the Tower. She recalled them placing something around her neck that drained her powers.

"Any progress on the one," she heard someone say from the hallway and quickly closed her eyes so they didn't realize she was awake.

"Apparently the hallucinations have little effect on her but she still appears to be unconscious. While we still don't know exactly what she's capable of, she does seem to be very powerful. Also we believe she can't use her powers unless she can speak."

"You mentioned earlier that the other one is having problems?" The two men moved away from Raven and she carefully watched them move across the room. A dividing wall was moved out of the way and she had to keep her emotions in check when she saw Robin in a container like hers. He looked sick and really pale.

"Not sure why but he's not responding to the treatment very well," the one 'doctor' explained as he looked over his notes, "I mean he's not a meta like the others so it's not really that surprising but we're having a hard time getting him stable. He was exposed to the largest amount of the substance." Even from across the room Raven could see he looked like he was struggling even though he wasn't awake. Of course he wasn't kidding anyone, the past couple of days the effects of the black sludge were starting to show no matter how much he tried to hide it. She couldn't tell if these people were helping them or making things worst.

"What about the changeling?"

"Yeah he's been having some problems, mostly keeping his normal form but his genetics were unstable already, given his capabilities. We made sure to put him under completely to avoid complications." Whether they were helping them or not, the team had been taken against their will. She couldn't tolerate that. If they were really trying to help them they wouldn't have broken into the tower the way they did. Even with Beast boy and Starfire acting so aggressively.

"This is all very interesting. I want to see the other two as well, especially the Tamarranean. I'll follow up with you about these issues tomorrow to see where we are with them." The two men left the room giving Raven the time she needed to come up with a plan. She started by focusing on the strap holding her right hand in place. It took several minutes but eventually she felt it start to loosen. Finally she was able to slip her hand out and undo the other restraints as well. She didn't know how much time she had before someone came back. Pressing her hands against the glass she closed her eyes tightly. She didn't know if it was whatever they were giving her or the container that was hindering her powers but she felt as though she had to concentrate a lot harder than normal. The first sound of the glass cracking brought on a rush of adrenaline. There was another crack, this one going completely across the front. One final crack and she pushed forward with her feet. The laws of physics took over as the glass broke completely and the tank of water spilled out on to the floor. Raven wished she had planned it a little better as gravity pulled her down faster then anticipate. The stationary breathing tube was painfully yanked out of her throat by the force. She remained on the floor for several seconds hacking and coughing before taking in her first independent breath of fresh air.

"Ow..." she weakly muttered as she sat up. The cool air of the lab caused her to shiver. She knew she had to move quickly but was having a problem getting her barrings together. She hurried over to Robin as quickly as possible. Getting a better look at him she concluded that he wasn't in any serious danger. His expression seemed distressed but he didn't appear to be in any pain. If she got him out now he'd most likely slow her down and they'd both get caught. Reluctantly she decided to leave him for now and moved towards the back of the room. "Where'd they put our clothes" she wondered as she looked around for a supply closet or lockers where they would have tossed their things. While she didn't find their clothes, she did find something even more helpful. On a cluttered table in the far corner of the room she found two of their communicators. The one had been disassembled while the other one seemed to still be intact. Pressing the side button to talk all she could hear was static. It made her wonder where they were. She decided to try something else and recorded a message. "Titans captured, send help," it was simple and to the point. Once she was done with the recording she sent out the distress signal. Hopefully someone would get it and be able to help them. Placing the communicator down she noticed another set of clothes like the ones she was wearing folded off to the side. Deciding it would be better to be dry she grabbed them and quickly changed. Just as she pulled the shirt over her head she heard the door open.

"What happened here," she could hear whoever was in the room head over to her broken confinement. Moving as quietly as possible, she hid under the table and pressed herself up against the corner. "I was just in here, where'd she go?" She heard the lab tech pick up a phone, "Get security in here now. One of the subjects got out somehow." Placing the phone back on the receiver, he glanced down to see her wet footprints covering the floor. It wouldn't take him long to follow them and find her. Raven looked to her left to see a vent cover and pressed her hand against it and closed her eyes. She could hear him walking up to the other confinement, following the unintended clues. She focused harder and breathed a sigh of relief when she finally teleported through the metal grate and into the ventilation system. By this point she could hear security entering the room and she quickly moved away. She knew she had to get help, whether that meant finding the other Titans or getting out of the lab and coming back for them.


	13. Chapter 13

As We Fall

Chapter thirteen-Impulse

Cyborg-

It had been raining the entire day and into the evening. He couldn't remember where they were heading, maybe to a party or maybe to hang out and play video games. The details became blurry in the matter of seconds. The impact threw his car out of the intersection and he felt it roll several times before coming to a stop. The motion made him feel nauseous.

He must have blacked out for a couple of minutes. When he came to he still felt dizzy. His head was pounding, making it impossible to think straight. Glancing to his right he could see his one friend was unconscious and bleeding from his head. Vic couldn't see his other friends in the backseat but the silence wasn't a good sign. As the fog started to lift from his mind he started to remember what just happened. He hadn't seen the truck before it collided with his side of the car. His legs were pinned as was his one arm by the crushed in door. There was no way for him to get out to get help. This feeling of being so useless weighed heavy on his chest. Looking around for his phone he finally saw it on the floor of the passenger side of the vehicle. As he tried to reach for it pain shot through his left side. The pain was more than he could take and he left out a loud cry.

There was nothing he could do but wait for someone else to realize they needed help. For whatever reason he just couldn't accept that. There was something inside of him that wanted to do so much more. He wasn't used to being the victim but here he was unable to do anything for himself or his friends.

Robin-

"Enough guys," he grumbled clearly irritated as he managed to get up from the bed, "I need a break." He was out of breath and sweating. He wasn't used to this much attention and was starting to feel exhausted.

"Ohh," Starfire whined as she rolled over and stretched out like a cat. Robin found himself getting tired of this quickly. He wasn't the kind of person to lay around all the time and do nothing. There were other reasons of course, he was running out of motivation by this point.

"Would you prefer top this time," Raven suggested to him which just made him even more annoyed. And then there was that occasional knocking at the door that no one seemed to want to answer. Pulling his boxers on he marched over and yanked the door open. Before the shock could set in, he was punched square in the face and knocked off his feet. Both girls jumped back and let out shrieks as they covered themselves up with the sheets. Robin wiped the blood from his mouth before turning back to their visitor. He walked in, heavy boots causing the floor boards to creak loudly under them.

"Now that was too easy," Slade stared down at him with disappointment in his tone.

"Nothing else has been making sense lately so of course you show up." Robin was back on his feet ready to fight quickly.

"My, you certainly have been busy in here haven't you," His nemesis walked over to the windows and pulled back the curtains to look out at the city, "I got bored waiting for you," his voice trailed off. Robin hurried over to the window to see fire consuming everything in sight.

"What, no." Slade turned away crossing his arms over his chest.

"I tried to get your attention. Guess you had better things to do other than being a hero."

Beast boy-

He knew the rest of the team wouldn't understand. He expected them to not trust Terra but to not trust his judgement said a lot about what they thought of him.

"You let her in the tower without talking to the team," Robin told him with his arms crossed.

"I didn't know where you guys were, I had to make a decision. She was standing out in the rain."

"You can't blame us for wanting to be cautious," Raven explained.

"Hello? Did everyone forget that she took down Slade?"

"BB, it's not about that. You should have just called us first," Cyborg said attempting to deescalate the situation.

"Call or not, we're supposed to help people who need us."

"I'm sorry but she can't stay here." Terra moved in behind him and leaned closer to his ear.

"Beast boy, it's okay. I'll go," she offered in a soft tone.

"No, that's not fair!"

"This isn't up for debate, she has to leave," Raven said.

"You guys are being ridiculous! If she has to go then I'm going too."

"Beast boy there is no reason for the rashness," Starfire chimed in.

"BB, you don't gotta be that way. You know we have our reasons for this." Beast boy could feel his temper rising in his throat. None of his team had ever seen him as an equal and they didn't trust him. This whole situation was proof of that.

"Forget it, I'm out of here." With that he tossed his communicator at Robin's feet and stomped towards the front door, pulling Terra behind him.

Starfire-

The city was under attack, it had been on the news all day. Starfire was pacing in the living room doing everything she could to stay optimistic. The Titans could handle this threat so there was no need for her to get involved. But then it wasn't her resolve she was worried about. Robin should have been home over an hour ago and hadn't called. And so she paced. Another forty five minutes passed before she heard his keys in the door.

"Robin," she greeted him as he entered. Judging by the look on his face she wasn't going to like what he was about to tell her. He noticed the news on in the living room so at least he didn't have to tell her everything going on.

"Hey Star. Guess you've been watching the news." Her heart sank in her chest and she nodded, worry taking over her features. She note his gaze shifting towards the bedroom.

"Yes it looks bad out there." She looked at the floor and rubbed her arm, "The team should be able to handle it though."

"Starfire..."

"You said you were done," she looked up at him, tears pricking the corners of her eyes, "Let them take care of it."

"...I..I can't, Star," he admitted, "they need help." She shook her head unable to think straight. A particularly loud explosion erupted near the pier. Robin didn't take another second and moved towards the bedroom to grab his suit. Starfire remained where she stood unable to move. He came back out quietly and reached for her hand. "Starfire, I promise I'll be right back."

"But you promised you would not." She couldn't keep the tears back any longer. He went to put his arms around her and she pulled away. "If you go...I do not think you should come back.

"Starfire." She shook her head and looked away.

"I can not talk about this anymore. You have to make the choice. What is more important."

"If the city gets destroyed there won't be a home here for us. I can't let that happen," he explained heading for the door, "No matter what I decide there's a chance I'll lose you."

"And if you get hurt, I too will lose you. If they can not fix this without you how do you know you will make any difference?" He narrowed his gaze at her.

"So you're saying you don't think I'm capable of helping?" He actually sounded hurt.

"I am not saying that. I am worried you will get hurt."

"I won't." His tone was cold as he walked out the door.

Author's notes-Reviews! XD


	14. Chapter 14

As We Fall

Author's note-Thanks again Eris for the review. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal but it seriously makes my day when I get one. Also my husband won't even read a story unless if has over 100 reviews. I am sure he's not the only one with that weird standard. -_-

Chapter fourteen-Cadmus

Alarms sounded through out the building putting security and personal in alert. All the confusion made it difficult to find out what was actually going on. First one of the subjects they apprehended disappeared right under their noses and now it seemed as though equipment was being destroyed all over the complex but the security cameras weren't able to catch anything until after the fact. At some point the attacks reached a lull right before the entire security system went down.

Cyborg was the first to be woken up by the chaos. He looked around trying to get a feel for where he was. He was strapped to a table with half his circuits exposed.

"Ugh...not cool," he groaned trying to figure out what was working so he could get loose. He quickly realized they had disable all of his defenses.

"Looks like you could use a hand," he heard a familiar voice but didn't see anyone else in the room. There were a couple of zaps at his wrists and the restraints unlocked. The table lifted up some allowing him to get a better look at his surroundings. A couple more zaps and his legs were free as well.

"Since you're all about helping me out of this, wanna help put me back together?" By this point he had figured out who his unseen ally was. Bumblebee grew back to normal size with her typical grin in place.

"Not sure how much I can do but guess we can figure it out together."

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Robin could hear voices causing him to stir. He wearily opened his eyes and had to take a minute to get his barrings together. His mind was telling him he was drowning as he realized he was surrounded by water. Attempting to swallow around the breathing tube only brought panic on quicker. He tried going for his belt only to realize he couldn't move and struggled against the straps holding him in place. He jerked his head to the side to feel wires attached to him instantly setting his nerves on edge. The space seemed small and he felt like the walls were closing in.

"Hey man, yah gotta calm down if I'm gonna get you out of this thing. I get you don't like being cooped up," The pun was not wasted on Robin but he honestly wasn't in the mood. The person sounded far away but the confidence in their tone still brought some relief. Blinking several times, he could make out Speedy standing in front of the confinement. "Now how do we get this open?" He scratched his head as he started hitting buttons randomly and managed to release the restraints. "Mmm, O2...bet that stands for open," He grinned and gave Robin a thumbs up. Robin was quick to wave his hands back and forth but not in time as Speedy hit the button. As uncomfortable as the breathing tube had felt in Robin's throat it was much worse as it was retracted. He held onto what little air he could but still glared at Speedy. "Opps, my bad." He started hitting buttons even faster trying to either empty the tank or open the front door. Robin again went for his belt only to realize it was missing leaving him weaponless. By this point he was running out of oxygen and started pounding on the glass in a panic. "Aw forget this," Speedy took a step back and pulled out his bow firing an arrow directly at the glass giving Robin little time to move away. Thankfully the explosion wasn't that big but was enough to break through. The water drained quickly allowing Robin to inhale deeply. He stumbled out on shaky legs coughing violently as his lungs protested the remaining discomfort.

"A...are you...trying...t..to...save me...or kill me," he managed out weakly as he leaned against the side.

"Well this kind of tech definitely isn't my thing," Speedy offered his hand and Robin reluctantly took it. He looked around for a second or two before seeing his belt. Throwing it over his shoulder he felt somewhat better about the situation.

"Where...where are we," he practically whispered as Speedy looked around the corner to see if the hallway was clear.

"Ever heard of Cadmus?"

"They're the ones who took us." he narrowed his glare at the name.

"Then you have heard of them."

"Of course I have, who do you think you're talking it?" Speedy disregarded the tone and continued:

"Apparently that whole slime monster situation got your team on their radar."

"So what's the plan?"

"It's simple: get you all out." Robin pressed a hand against the side of his head. The least they could have done was help his team get over this strange illness. Now that he was able to stop for a second he noticed he still didn't feel 100%.

"Who's left to rescue?" Speedy turned and blinked several times at him.

"You're serious? You're not rescuing anyone. Raven escaped on her own and contacted us. The others can handle the rest and get your team out."

"Fair enough."

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"Damn, you're much heavier then you look," Aqualad complained as he readjusted Beast boy over his shoulder. He was still unconscious and no matter how much Aqualad smacked him across the face nothing seemed to wake him up. His earpiece blipped and he shifted the other Titan so he could answer it.

"Hey it's Speedy. I've got Robin and we're heading out."

"Great, is he practically drooling all over you too," Aqualad complained back.

"What? No. Anyway, how's everyone else doing?"

"Got Cyborg back together, we're already outside ready to go," Bumble Bee chirped. Aqualad placed Beast boy down so that he could scope out the hallway as Mos and Menos confirmed their location which he didn't understand anyway.

"I feel like you guys gave me the difficult one since I'm new to the team," Kid Flash admitted.

"I doubt that," Aqualad grumbled as he got Beast boy back up on his shoulder. This time he definitely felt drool on his neck which made him let out a shiver as he moved out.

"I'm just saying our alien friend here is awake and very very angry. I'm a little reluctant to let her out until she calms down."

"If you wait too long you'll get caught too," Bumble Bee warned him.

"Looks like they have an inhibitor collar on her which is why she's so mad," he explained as he looked over the confinement controls. Starfire was thrashing angrily inside the tank. Reluctantly Kid Flash undid the restraints. Immediately she yanked off any wires still attached to her as well as pulled the breathing tube out. Slamming her hands against the glass she suddenly realized that her normal strength was gone. This only made her angrier and made Kid Flash more determined to get her out. He finally figured out how to empty the liquid and open the door. As she stepped out she grabbed him by the throat.

"Where am I," she demanded as she leveled him with a glare. Even though he was thankful her grip wasn't as strong as usual he still pulled at her hands before he was able to answer her.

"We're here to rescue you."

"Rescue? I do not require the rescue."

"Can I get some help over here," he spoke into his earpiece once Starfire noticed the collar and proceeded to try to rip it off her neck with her bare hands. She received a sudden shock and let out an angry yell before breaking anything on the back counter top. "Anyone?"

"Robin and I are heading over now. He thinks he can help with her." Kid Flash ducked just as a stool was flung in his direction.

"Please hurry," he grinned at his ironic statement. As Speedy and Robin made it down the hallway they could hear the Tamarranean let out a yell. As they entered the lab she now had Kid Flash by the front of his outfit yelling at him.

"You will get this thing off of me," she shouted in his face.

"Who taught you manners, was it Robin, makes a lot of sense if it was him." Robin growl from the doorway at his comment. Taking in a particularly deep breath he pulled a lock pick out of his belt before cautiously moving towards Starfire.

"Star, let me help," he offered holding both hands up. She turned and glared at him.

"You will assist me," she hissed at him.

"Of course I will, we're friends. Remember."

"You're the reason I was captured, yes?"

"No! It wasn't me, let me help you and we can go home." He finally made it over to her and she took a step back.

"Home? To Tamaran?"

"No, back to the Tower." She remained still long enough for him to get the collar off. It hit the floor hard. Speedy heard a commotion from behind and pulled an arrow out, aiming it down the hallway.

"We got trouble, gotta move." Once Starfire realized her powers were back her eyes lit up in anger.

"Yes we do," She aimed upwards, blasting through the ceiling before flying upwards.

"Starfire!" Robin went for his grappling gun but Kid Flash grabbed Speedy and him before he could go after her. "No, we have to go back and get her!"

"She's gonna get us all caught besides she can handled herself. We gotta get the rest of your team back on their feet and then we can go after her," Speedy suggested. Robin didn't bother arguing knowing there was no point.


	15. Chapter 15

As We Fall

Author's notes-Sorry for the late chapter, I know I usually post every weekend or so but Halloween took up a lot of time this year. Please show pity and send some nice reviews.

Chapter fifteen-Plans

"So what's with the lame ass pajamas," Beast boy asked noticing his clothes. His attitude hadn't gotten much better but at least he was able to keep his normal form much longer than before even if he still didn't have it completely under control. It seemed to be a lingering side effect that was making him cranky.

"At least you slept through everything, I'm gonna have nightmares for weeks," Cyborg pointed out as he took in Titan's East Tower. He was glad to see the place was in decent shape since he left.

"Whatdya think we were gonna do-wreck the place once you were gone," Bumblebee asked him.

"Do we know when the others are getting back?" Raven was clearly on edge as she sat on the couch with her arms crossed and tapping her foot impatiently. She had done her best to heal herself but was also still feeling weaker than normal putting her in a bit of a fowl mood as well.

"They should be back soon till then you're all more than welcome to make yourself at home," Aqualad offered noticing the tone in the room seemed a little tense. He leaned over to Cyborg who appeared to be the least annoyed one there and whispered, "so is the crappy attitude just from Cadmus or the slime monster thing?"

"Pretty sure it's from the slime monster. Kind of poisoned the whole team," His metal friend explained back.

"My people have a detox that we use for things like this. Want me to get some and see if it works?"

"I think we're willing to try anything at this point. Wasn't fun locking up half the team back at our tower." Before Aqualad had the chance to leave the front door opened and Kid Flash came to a screeching halt before letting his two passengers down. Neither of them looked particularly well as Speedy rushed off, covering his mouth like he was going to be sick. Robin stumbled over to the couch quickly taking a seat to help calm his stomach down.

"Where's Starfire," Raven was the first to ask but wasn't the only one to notice she was missing.

"Yeah about that," Kid Flash nervously scratched the side of his face, "she kind of flew away." Raven turned to Robin and he sank a little further into the couch feeling her heated glare.0

"Do we have any idea where'd she go," she asked him.

"No, can't even track her communicator. Doubt she'd go back to Jump City," he stated quietly.

"It's a fair distance away even if she can fly," Bumblebee mused, "If you can't track her communicator, maybe there's another way to find her."

"Like a path of destruction," Beast boy sarcastically mentioned.

"Actually yes, something like that," Bumblebee stated receiving an annoyed sound from Beast boy. He wasn't trying to be helpful.

"Considering how irritated she was about everything it wouldn't surprise me if she took out her frustrations in the vicinity. We just need to listen in on 911 calls and things like that, right," Kid Flash suggested.

"Whatever happens I need to be the one to go," Robin explained getting everyone's attention, "Starfire won't listen to just anyone, not in the state of mind she's in right now. I'm the only one who should go once we find her."

"Pretty sure she was equally pissed off at you too," Kid Flash pointed out.

"But I have to try. I know once we get her back she'll realize we're not going to hurt her."

"Yeah I'm sure it'll all work out...So why's Raven got her own clothes," Beast boy was done with this conversation and more interested in something more important, at least to him.

"Cause I teleported home and grabbed my stuff, that's why." Beast boy slouched in his seat scratching at the uncomfortable material he currently wore.

"Aw man, that's not fair." Raven reached behind the couch to retrieve a backpack.

"Actually, I grabbed you some clothes as well as Robin but if you'd rather sulk," She tossed it to him and grabbed a second bag for Robin as well.

"Ugh, thanks," Beast boy said sheepishly before heading to the bathroom to change. Robin walked over and took his from her with a slightly relieved smile on his face.

"Figured we should at least be comfortable, right?"

"Thanks," He seemed quiet to her but she didn't pry any further. Just looking at him she could tell he still wasn't feeling well and based on past experience he was most likely blaming himself for everything even if it wasn't his fault. After getting directions to another bathroom, he disappeared down the hallway. Once he was out of sight, Raven's gaze shifted to Cyborg. She could tell by his returned look that they were thinking the same thing. About twenty minutes went by of small talk with the other Titans before he turned and headed down the hallway as well.

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Raven had thought of everything when she packed his bag. There were extra weapons inside and even his hair gel. After a hot shower and getting back in his 'normal' clothes Robin felt at least a little bit better. Letting out a tired sigh he opened the door to see Cyborg standing outside in the hallway. He could tell by his demeanor that he wasn't going to like whatever it was he wanted to discuss.

"Problem," Robin asked in an annoyed tone. Cyborg's stance didn't change as he remained against the wall typing away at the screen on his arm.

"You going after Star," He also got right to the point.

"That's what I said I was going to do? Is that a problem," he repeated himself, making a mental effort to not sound as irritated as he felt.

"Well you're not exactly at your best right now and do you even have an idea where you're going? What will you do when you find her?"

"I'll figure it out. You know I can't just let her go like this."

"Yeah I know but you're gonna need some help."

"I need to do this by myself. If we draw too much attention Cadmus might come after all of us again."

"You know none of this is your fault, right? None of us could have seen this coming."

"I know," Robin's gaze dropped, "but I can't just stay here and do nothing. I have to at least try."

"I get it but it's still not a good idea considering everything," Cyborg received a single nod in response before he sighed heavily, "I adjusted my sensor to track her heat signature assuming she uses her powers. The signal spiked about eight minutes ago. She's in Steel City, bout fifteen miles away." Robin blinked in shock at this new information and the fact that Cyborg was actually willing to help him even though he was obviously against the idea. "There's a bike ready for you in the garage. Just promise you'll contact us if you need help." He nodded back before heading down the hallway towards the garage. Just as Cyborg had said there was a motorcycle with the keys already in the ignition. Grabbing a helmet, he opened the main door and started up the bike.

So many thoughts went through his head as he took off towards Steel City. Up till now he hadn't been able to get through to Starfire and he honestly wasn't sure what else he could say to convince her to come back with him. As much as he knew this fact though he wasn't ready to give up. At the very least he had to figure out a way to keep her from hurting anyone else. As he entered the city, the sickening feeling in his stomach got even worse. It looked just like Jump City after she went on her last rampage. He'd have to move quickly and hopefully find her before she destroyed anything else.


	16. Chapter 16

As We Fall

Author's note-Reviews, please. :C

Chapter sixteen-Anger

Starfire reveled at the sight as people ran away from her. Once she was done here she planned to go back to that lab she had escaped from and burn it to the ground as well.

She was angry...

She didn't know why she was so angry. After all she was no longer being held against her will by those people or her even her own teammates for that matter. She was free to go where she pleased and do what she wanted. No one was going to tell her what to do now. Maybe when she was satisfied destroying what she wanted here on earth she would go back to her home planet and take over the throne. Why she had passed it up the last time she was home she didn't know why. This time would be different, this time no one would force her to marry someone she didn't even know. They had all been so foolish thinking they could make her do anything especially her sister. Her thoughts of dominating were cut short as a wire wrapped around her waist and she was yanked down. She pulled back and turned to see who had managed to get a hold of her and grinned maniacally.

She was hoping for this fight...

"I desired that you would come after me," she hollered down to Robin. His expression shifted slightly into a grimace. He hated that while he was dreading this inevitable encounter since this whole mess had started, Star was looking forward to it.

"Starfire, please come down and talk to me!"

"But I do not wish to have the heart to heart talk. You will not hold me down anymore." He was certain she didn't know what she was saying.

"I never wanted any of this to happen. Just please, come down here?"

"I have a better idea, you can come up." She pulled hard of his line and he was practically yanked off the motorcycle. Thinking quickly, he tied the other end of the wire to the front of the bike in an attempt to keep her from pulling him up too high. This just made her angrier and she flew a little higher hoping the line would snap from the weight of the bike. Getting a better look at it, she realized it was too thick so breaking it wouldn't be so easy. Robin turned his bike some in order to slow her down. "So you want to play," there was an obvious smirk in her tone as she took off trying to lift both Robin and the bike with her. He couldn't help but wonder why she was having such a hard time pulling the bike up. After all he had seen her lift a car, was it possible she was holding back?

"Whoa, Star!" He suddenly realized she wasn't holding back as much as he hoped for. As the front tire lifted off the ground he had to think fast and grabbed onto the only stationary thing within reach. He knew he could only hold onto the lamp pole for so long before his strength gave out. Turning back, she let out a growl before flying erratically.

She was becoming irritated...

"Let me go!" As his vision started to blur, he realized that he wasn't able to keep this up and reluctantly let go of the pole. The fact that she considered dragging him through the streets confirmed how irrational she was. After pulling him for so long she tried to break the wire only to realize she couldn't. Finally she flew down and tried to jerk the other end off the bike. Robin's hand rested on top of hers and her glare shifted up. His expression was kind but it was obvious he was also worn out and tired from the fight.

"Please Starfire, come home. I miss you," he begged her. She was quick to push his hand away.

"You desire to control me," she hissed.

"I don't,"

"You always have to be the one to make the plans and to do the rescuing. You do not like it when someone else has the power."

"Star, you've always been stronger. You don't have anything to prove."

She felt an ache in her heart...

Ignoring this feeling she knocked him off the bike, harder then necessary. Gripping the handle bars she bent them in order to get the wire off and eventually slip it off her waist as well. Robin remained where he was on the ground trying to catch his breath. He was starting to feel light headed as well. Starfire walked over and grabbed hold of his cape, pulling him towards her. Next this he knew she was crouched in front of him. Her dark grin sent a chill up his back and he swallowed hard.

"I know I don't." She looked him over as . Without saying another word she brought her arm back and launched her fist forward, nailing him hard in the jaw. There was no time to right himself as he was knocked backwards, tumbling across the pavement. He finally stopped when he slammed into a parked car. "Why don't you defend yourself?" He didn't know if he'd blacked out for a couple of seconds but she was once again right in front of him.

"I'm not going to fight you,...we're friends...we shouldn't be fighting like this." A sickening grin slid in place as the Tamarranean leaned closer.

"If you are not going to fight me then I will find some other use for you," she grabbed the front of his shirt and forced him up. She knew that if he was able to find her it was only a matter of time before the others showed up. Taking another moment to look him over she concluded that he wasn't injured that badly even though he kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Eventually he passed out and she took off leaving the city in her wake.

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Raven was already having a difficult time meditating with all the distractions of late but the uneasiness that kept creeping up was unnerving. Robin had been gone for hours and they hadn't heard anything from him, not even a confirmation that he had even found Starfire. She was trying to remain calm but it felt as though it was impossible with that hanging over her head. Cyborg and Beast boy were with Aqualad in Titan's East's lab figuring out a 'cure' for Starfire. Raven was skeptical as always considering how bad she had reacted, so much worst than the rest of them. She had concluded it was her alien dna and this was simply something that was out of their reach. She hated the idea but there was nothing more she could really do to make the situation better at this point so she decided it would be best to just stay out of the way.

"That stuff is disgusting," she could hear Beast boy coming down the hallway towards the main room. He moved quickly to the kitchen to get a glass of water before chugging the entire thing, "Bleh," he added in his normal whining tone. Cyborg and Aqualad were quick to enter the room as well.

"But did it work? How do you feel," Cyborg asked him. Beast boy just shrugged back.

"I dunno, not cranky?" Cyborg smacked himself in the face and took in a particularly deep breath.

"Do you have control over your powers or not? Turn into a goat..." His green friend obliged him quickly, "good, now a horse, elephant, snake, monkey, aaand a house cat." Once he complied with each request he shifted back to normal with a smirk on his face.

"Anything else?"

"Is there an animal that doesn't make any noise, How bout a rabbit," Raven added from across the room. Aqualad snorted as he tried to hold back the laughter but still received a glare from Beast boy.

"You know I had hoped this would make you mildly happy. Since Aqualad's fancy stuff fixed me it means we can go get Starfire back, right?"

"We have no idea if it will even work on Star," Beast boy could tell she was trying desperately to hide how anxious she was. It was pretty obvious the way she bit the inside of her mouth and managed to look irritated despite her normal calm tone. Cyborg decided to chime in as he cleared his throat.

"Robin said he wanted to handle this alone," he reminded them as he started tapping away at the screen on his arm, " but according to the tracker in his communicator, he's not even in Steel City anymore. Star's signal got really strong there about an hour ago and then dropped off completely. Must mean she's not using her 'destructive' powers right now."

"So where's Robin now?"

"Hard to tell but it looks like he's off the main land," Cyborg tried to narrow it down a little more but the flashing light indicating Robin's location was still moving.

"Have you tried to reach him yet," by this point Raven had given up meditating and was now glancing over his shoulder at the screen as well.

"I did earlier and there wasn't any answer."

"We need to go,...right now."


	17. Chapter 17

As We Fall

Author's note-thanks for the love, always happy to get review!

Chapter seventeen: Heat

Robin let out a shiver when he finally came to. Looking around he wasn't sure where he was but a particularly strong gust of wind caused him to bring his legs up to his chest and pull his cape around himself more. It was dark which had never bothered him before and the ground was rough making it impossible to get comfortable. Reaching into his belt, he pulled out a small flashlight to get a better look at the situation. It looked as though he was in a cave and considering the chill in the air and the smell of salt he had to be close to the ocean.

"I see you are awake," Her tone was as cold as the wind. Robin looked up to see Starfire had floated over when he wasn't looking.

"...Where...where are we?" He could feel his teeth starting to chatter as he sat up more. She narrowed her gaze at him.

"Not at your Tower," Her statement received an annoyed groan.

"You know... I'm starting to think you're losing your mind. It's not _my_ tower and you know it." He was suddenly pushed down hard against the rocks as she leaned over him.

"I do not care what you think," she told him as she pushed herself against him more.

"What are you doing?"

"Keeping you warm, of course." He could hear the grin in her tone, she was enjoying the fact that he needed her right now.

"Did you fly us to the North pole or something?" There was no answer to his sarcastic question. Despite her attitude, her body was really warm and he had stopped shivering so much. "So what's the plan, Star? Is this revenge or something," his voice came out in a low serious tone.

"I don't have to tell you anything." He reluctantly brought his arms around her and leaned up into her ear.

"Why are you so angry with me? I was just trying to keep everyone safe," he explained.

"Yes, from me. You locked me up like I was the enemy."

"I didn't want to, I wasn't sure what I was..." Robin's thought was cut short when Starfire's lips crashed into his. The action made no sense to him, maybe she just wanted to shut him up. He didn't know what else to do and kiss her back. While they weren't very physical yet in their relationship, he really had missed her and this was a nice change. She suddenly broke it off and backed away from him as though she was angry with herself. She started muttering in her own language and pressed her hands against her head. Robin got up and moved towards her slowly.

"Star, it's okay. I want to help you. Please let me," he pleaded with her. She started to sob uncontrollably and he gently put his hand on her shoulder. Suddenly she dried her eyes on the back of her hand and the sobbing turned to laughing.

"You think you can fix me...Did you ever think I was not broken," She spun around and shoved him back to the rocky ground.

"I'm not trying to, I am just trying to understand," his tone was exasperated as he placed his hands in the air showing he was not going to retaliate.

"You cannot," she shouted at him as a couple of tears escaped and slid down her cheeks.

"Then tell me so I know how to help you." She growled at him.

"You cannot understand, what I am going through, how I am feeling. I keep thinking _this_ will get better," she gestured a hand back and forth between the two of them.

"Star, I'm sorry. What do you want me to do?"

"Stop doing that, that thing. You want to always help and fix things but then I show that I have the feelings for you, you always back away and I do not know what is correct or how to act and now there are all these feelings that I do not understand that everyone expects me to not act on. Perhaps you should stop trying so hard to fix things and just let me get close. It is not fair to keep pushing me away." She finally stopped her ranting. Robin dropped his gaze trying to process everything she just said.

"I didn't know you felt that way. I don't know what to say but to tell you I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry, so you can feel better? And then what? Nothing will change and I am tired of that!" By now she was yelling again and rushed at him. He tried to back up but stopped when his backside hit a large rock. Starfire reached for his waist and managed to pull his belt off him with little effort. She pulled some wire out, similar to the kind he used on her back at Steel City. Grabbing his one arm she was quick to tie the line tightly around his wrist.

"Star..."

"You will stop talking," she snapped back as she tossed the other end of the wire around the large rock behind him and finally tied his other wrist as well, "and do not try to escape or else." He nodded quietly fighting the urge. Without getting a closer look he wasn't sure how she managed to tie it so tight without cutting off circulation to his hands. He couldn't figure out what she was planning but he knew she wasn't thinking straight enough to have much of a plan. He didn't have to wonder for very long when she straddled his waist and leaned over him again. He blinked a couple of times confused by her position and knew he was probably starting to turn red as well. She ran her hands up his sides before moving in again to kiss his mouth. This kiss was much longer as her hands roamed over his chest and down his stomach, tracing each muscle as though she was trying to memorize his features. She paused when she felt him flinch as her hands landed on his hips. Bringing her mouth away from his she moved up to speak softly in his ear. "You know I could do anything I wanted to right now and there's no way you could stop me. He turned some towards her.

"Even if you didn't have me tied down, I wouldn't stop you, Star. I just want you to be happy," his tone was sincere and quiet, as though he was telling her a secret no one else needed to know, "I thought I knew what that was but I guess I was wrong. Maybe I never knew the real you. But that doesn't matter...because I love you," she felt his mouth turn up into a smile against her ear when he admitted it, "Ever since we met I've felt this way and would do anything to make you happy." Starfire remained unmoved from her position over him. Her scattered thoughts were all over the place.

'_...He said he loved me? He actually proclaimed it? But he does not share the feelings, never.' _ She sat up some staring down at him as though trying to read him.

"How do I know that this is not a trick? That you are just saying these things so you can escape?"

"I came to find you and you know I could get out of this if I really wanted to," a cocky grin slipped into place. Starfire's heart felt like it could jump out of her chest if she let it. "Star, I need you, I've always needed you."

"You have never shown that. Now it is too late and I will not give you the option to get away."

"You can do what you want with me, it's like I said: I'm not going to fight you." She grabbed his face trying to read some ulterior motive but couldn't.

"Do you think I will not force you? I most definitely will." As she said this she started yanking at his clothes, roughly pulling his shirt up and trying to get his pants down. He didn't struggle against her which only seem to make her angrier. "Are you just going to accept your fate?"

"Starfire, what do you want from me? This doesn't make any sense." His answer annoyed her more then it should have. Maybe it wasn't even him that was making her so angry. She could feel a hunger unlike anything she'd ever felt before. It had started back at the beginning of all this but seemed to get particularly worst when she was around Robin. She wondered if she even really knew what she was doing. Pushing any doubt away, she managed to get his pants down his legs. It wasn't long before he started shivering in response to the cold. She was quick to remove the white pajamas she was still wearing from Cadmus. Despite the cold, Robin couldn't help but stare at her. Normally he would do his best not to but this situation was beyond normal. Starfire's movements were clumsy as she tried to turn him on.

"I said do not resist me," she grumbled.

"...I'm not," he said back through his teeth, "it's pretty cold, you know."

"What does that have to do with...oh," she paused and sat up as though trying to come up with a solution. It was clear her knowledge in this area was very limited. Before she had the chance she was suddenly hit from behind by what seemed like a blast of water. It knocked her off him and slammed her against the far wall of the cave. Robin was quick to slide his one hand out of her restraint and attempted to compose himself. Once he got his pants back up he got his other hand free before standing up to see who had 'rescued' him. Before he had the chance, he was hit with another wave just like Starfire. He struggled to breath as he was knocked off his feet. This felt more like an attack then a rescue.


	18. Chapter 18

As We Fall

Author's note-Sorry it took me so long to finish the story. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy:

Chapter eighteen: Normal

Starfire coughed hard in an attempt to clear her throat. She had accidentally swallowed some of whatever had been blasted at her. Once she was able to inhale she glanced up wearily to see Raven standing over her. Despite her face being partially covered her expression was stern. The taste in Star's mouth made her feel ill and she dropped her gaze trying not to be sick. She suddenly realized she wasn't wearing much clothing and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to cover up. Raven sighed heavily before draping her cloak around her friend's shoulders.

"Thank you," Starfire quietly accepted Raven's help. The empath arched an eyebrow still feeling irritated by the situation. Not only did Robin run off to 'rescue' her against their suggestion but he had gotten captured by her as well. Raven didn't have to read anyone's emotions to know something had happened between the two of them and it bothered her. There was something suspicious about the isolated location and the lack of clothing her friend was wearing. Before this whole mess she probably would have never thought Star was capable of anything inappropriate but she didn't really know what she could do now.

"Whatever," she finally grumbled as she turned back to the entrance of the cave to see her other teammates assisting Robin. Cyborg was holding him up by his shoulders as Aqualad gave him several smacks on the back before he coughed up the water he'd managed to swallow. "Is he going to be alright," Raven called from across the room.

"Robin!?" Starfire glanced up immediately as concern for his safety hit her like a wave.

"He's gonna be fine, just caught him off guard," Cyborg explained. His answer didn't seem to ease the Tamarranean's fears. She could remember everything that had happened, how badly she had behaved and the guilt that accompanied this knowledge gripped her hard.

"Hey," she looked up again to see Raven staring down at her, still looking annoyed, "Did you not hear him? He said he's okay. So quit it with all the worrying, it's giving me a headache." Starfire quietly nodded back before getting up slowly. Without another word, she followed Raven over to the rest of the team as Cyborg hoisted Robin up on his shoulder. They quickly moved towards their ship where Beast boy and Speedy were waiting.

"That was oddly easier then expected," Speedy commented as they loaded up.

"Disappointed," Aqualad arched an eyebrow as he got into his seat. Speedy waved a hand in denial.

"No, just felt like a wasted trip."

"I can find you some trouble if you're bored," his teammate joked.

"Nope, I'm good," Speedy shifted more in his seat.

The rest of the trip home was awkwardly quiet as Starfire stared out the window, unwilling to make eye contract with anyone else. She was having a hard time coming to grips with everything that had happened. It would have been one thing to not remember but she could recall everything. She wasn't sure how they would ever get past this. How could they ever trust her again? She could practically feel the anger coming off Raven who was sitting across the way. She dared to glance over at Robin who was seated diagonally from her. He seemed lost in his thoughts but he didn't appear as angry as Raven which gave her a small glimmer of hope. She couldn't imagine a world where he was angry with her. The most she had ever experienced him being mad at her. As she recalled the past several days she couldn't remember any point where he was angry with her. He had always spoken to her kindly even when she had been so hateful. It reminded her of her sister which made her feel sick to her stomach. A small sound managed to escape her lips as she pulled her legs up and buried her head against her knees.

The sight of Jump City on the horizon should have brought relief to the weary Titans but none of them showed it. There would be plenty of work to do once they got home and for all they knew Cadmus was still there, waiting for them to return. This homecoming had them all on edge more than anything else. Cyborg was the first one in the door, cannon ready in case there were still unwanted guests present. Speedy was right on his heels, arrow in place on his bow. There didn't seem to be any signs of life inside and Cyborg motioned for the others to come in as well. Aqualad took the rear making sure no one came in from behind them. There was still evidence of the attack as well as some of Starfire's more rage filled moments. She couldn't help but cringe at the damage she had caused.

"Doesn't seem to be anyone here," Speedy mentioned in a quiet tone.

"My scan shows the same. That's weird considering the front door was left open," Cyborg added before going over to tinker with the security system controls. Beast boy said something about his room before disappearing up the stairs. Raven mumbled something under her breath about no one wanting any of his stuff before heading into the living room to better evaluate the damage there. Robin took a minute to thank Aqualad and Speedy for their help and even though they offered to stick around to help get things back in order, he declined politely. It was clear they just wanted to get things back to normal. The other Titans said their goodbyes before going to their ship and leaving. Starfire wondered into the kitchen unsure of what she should do while Robin went over to see if he could help Cyborg. "Yah know you could have let them stay and help," Cyborg mentioned and quickly received a grunt back.

"Kind of just wanted to get things put back together. Besides they've done enough for us, didn't feel right asking for anything else." Cyborg shrugged in response.

"Well this is all set. I've got updated pass codes programmed in and rebooted the system," he stated as he stretched his arms over his head. Robin blinked in shock that he fixed it so quickly. At the same time he was also relieved knowing they would be somewhat safe in case there was another attack tonight.

"So...," he heard Raven from the living room and turned his attention in her direction, "you planning on telling us what happened before we found you two?" She was looking at Starfire but shifted her gaze towards Robin as well to see how he'd react. Star dropped her gaze towards the floor as Robin seemed to choke on nothing before red stained his cheeks. Raven leaned against the back of the couch with her arms crossed. The room became awkwardly quiet before Cyborg broke the silence.

"We got enough to do, let's not worry about that right now." Raven rolled her eyes and pushed off the couch. Despite her silence Robin could still feel the judgement coming off her in waves. The entire situation made him feel exhausted and he didn't want to deal with any of it. He already knew he had to iron things out with Starfire and wasn't entirely sure how to do that. If Raven was still angry with him that was her decision and he doubted he could convince her otherwise. It all felt like too much this second for him to process. After a couple of hours cleaning and putting the Tower back together each teammate eventually made it to their room for the evening. Like most nights, Robin was having a hard time sleeping despite how tired he was. He worried about leaving Cadmus out there after they seemed to infiltrate the Tower so easily. He couldn't help but wonder if they would try again. Would they be ready if they were attacked again? Concluding he wasn't going to be able to shut his brain off, he decided to head out to the kitchen to get something to drink. As he entered the main area he immediately noticed two suitcases next to the front door. Turning towards the kitchen he found a note half written. It looked like Starfire's handwriting but the letter wasn't finished.

"I did not know what to say..." He looked up to see her sitting on the couch in the dark.

"Star? You okay?" She smiled ironically to herself as she clasped her hands tighter on her lap.

"You have asked me that a lot lately. I am not so sure I am okay," she admitted. Robin's shoulders dropped as he started moving in her direction. Before she knew it he was sitting right next to her, concern etched into his expression.

"We've all been through a lot lately. All we can do is try to move forward together." He managed a sad smile as he reached over to place a hand on top of hers.

"I do not think it is good for me to stay. I have hurt my friends,...I hurt you." Her gaze shifted over to see how he'd react.

"Star, I don't want you to leave. I'd miss you," he told her.

"I do not think the others want me here anymore." She felt his fingers tighten around her hand.

"I will handle the rest of the team but trust me, no one wants you to leave." She let out a heavy sigh.

"Raven would be okay if I left. She does not seem very happy with me."

"She's not happy with me either, I wouldn't let it bother you." His statement brought a feeble smile to her face. It became quiet between them for several minutes before Starfire finally spoke.

"I behaved very badly, to everyone. I don't know how to make it right," Robin shifted closer to her and brought an arm around her shoulders.

"None of us were at our best, it's not your fault you just responded differently then the rest of us."

"But I cannot help but feel ashamed of my actions." She heard him sigh and glanced over.

"I can't exactly say I am proud of what I did either. I was so determined to handle the problem myself instead of asking for help. Things probably wouldn't have gotten that bad if I had just contacted the other Titans." Starfire reached up and squeezed his hand on her shoulder.

"I think we will both be okay," she replied as she leaned against him more. Resting his head on top of hers he felt his eyelids begin to feel heavy before drifting off to sleep.

-End-


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